Saint Or Sinner
by MyLadyOfStories
Summary: I was woken up for the first time and so long & I honestly had no idea who or where I was. First thing I remember is staring at a man with scary eyebrows, cross from his aged, wizened face, eyes far older. He took me with him to the TARDIS & the universe beyond trying to piece together my history. My name is, or could be, Georgia. Could you help me decide if I'm a Saint or Sinner?
1. Chapter One

The Doctor:

"She's still asleep then?" Clara asked me as I carefully administered another dose of the antidote to her poisoning. It was going to take a while, but it was definitely working. "Are you sure you definitely know what's wrong with her, Doctor? We took her from an old hospital, they might have just been looking for the right time to cure her."

I shook my head, gently laying the girl's arm back down by her side, white hair curled around an impossibly pale face. A side effect of the cure, it caused the body to wash melanin and other colour pigments out of the skin and hair, at least for a short while. "The antidote is working, the poison is just deep set now. The Flux Adder, a bright purple snake from the Taint Jungle of Notch. It secretes a sleeping toxin in it's venom, making it a common way to murder someone as it's hard to make an antidote, so they just fall into a deep sleep and just drift away. It's the basis of your Sleeping Beauty, I believe. Some smugglers lost one on Earth and it bit a girl, not her pricking her finger on some spinny thing."

"Was she awakened by a handsome prince and true loves kiss?"

"Of course not." I scoffed, shaking my head as the heart monitor beeped softly to show it was gradually picking up. "There's no such thing as true loves kiss."

That made her sigh at me, something that she had done a lot since I'd regenerated, before tucking our new friends torso in under the covers better. "Yeah? Well, I hope one day, someone shows you different. I'm off, I still need to get home and do all my marking for Year 9." Maybe you had to go and flirt, too, I knew that smile. "Why they need to draw so many penises I'll never know." Then hesitated at the idea of leaving me alone with my patient. "If you need my help, I can stay a little longer, or maybe we should take her to a hospital."

I just waved her off, ushering her out of the TARDIS before sitting back by the girls side. She'd caught my attention at the Aristotle, spotting her on our way back to the TARDIS. The only person left over from when the ship had been a hospital, left lying there, having been asleep for at least 4 years. They'd just tucked her away into the corner, bare minimum care, barely feeding her, no papers to say who she was or where she was from, and she'd come close to being killed by the Dalek's.

They had no idea how long she'd even been there for, so this poor nameless girl, I'd just taken her, picked her up and carried her into the TARDIS without even asking. That was two days ago and the cure was slowly but surely waking her up. And hopefully, she'd be able to tell me who she was once she was up.

The girl was young, even I could see that she was young at heart, but looked mid twenties at the latest. Her hair and skin were as white as the moon now, but before they had been just a little darker, her hair more honey coloured. She was small, frail, peaceful and utterly innocent. I couldn't leave her in the middle of a war zone.

Her heartbeat monitor stuttered, her breathing quickening as I administered the final dose of the antidote, her eyes flicking open and her left hand reached out to grab mine. She was strong, I could feel my bones clicking. "She's coming for me, she's here, I have to run, she's coming for me!"

"Hey, hey, it's alright!" I told her, seeing complete and utter fear in her cornflower blue eyes, rimmed in spidery white lashes like my own, only hers were a lot thicker. Oh, and terrified. "You're safe here, no one is going to get you."

"I, I, I'm... Safe?" She repeated, now seeming to be scared of her own words, like she didn't know why she had said what she had. "W, where? Who?"

Well, either she was struggling to adjust, or she'd never managed to complete a question in her life. "You're in my ship, it's called the TARDIS. I'm the Doctor, what's your name?"

She frowned a little, her hand going to touch the hollow of her throat as though there was normally something there, before shaking her head. "I, I don't know. Why don't I know? Where did you find me, no one was supposed to find me. I was supposed to be gone for good..."

A hard question, that one. "They found you just in the war zone one day. The Sleeping Beauty Venom, the thing that made you sleep, was deep rooted into you. Technically, you should have been dead a long time ago, it's a fatal poisoning, but you held on. You've been asleep for at least 4 years. The cure to the poison completely washed the colour out of your system, but it might have also wiped the memory base of your brain. Does that make sense?"

"To wake me up, you, um, you did a cell wash with an anti-venom, taking out melanin from most of my body, but it also affected my brain." The girl nodded, not realising that she was still painfully holding my hand. "It makes sense, but I don't know why it makes sense."

"You were obviously smart before you went and got yourself poisoned." I told her as she looked down at her hands, nails long, curled and cracking from years of lying in a bed, her skin deathly white all over her small body. "I'll see if there's anything that I can do to bring back your memories, but for the moment, I need you to eat something."

The girl frowned, but nodded as I picked up a tray of food, ranging from chips to jam sandwiches to a bowl of soup. She nibbled on the chips, but after a moment started to devour the food, having not eaten in 4 years and being tube fed. "Guessing you needed that then, huh?"

"Thank you. I did not know I was hungry until I started to eat." She admitted, nodding slowly as she tucked her hair absently behind both her ears. "Your name, you said it was the Doctor? Are you an actual Doctor or is it just your name?" She asked, making me realise for the first time that she had a thick New Zealand accent, making me also think how young she looked and sounded. "I'm guessing that it's probably both, given that you somehow woke me up."

I nodded, passing her a glass of water so she stayed hydrated. These next few hours were crucial for waking up her organs properly, if not they could just completely shut down and she'd only have a few hours of painful life after years of not living at all. "It's a little bit of both, yes. If I give you some things to do, please do them while I got and get you some clean clothes and see if I can do a trace on your blood, come up with a match on your identity and planet of origin."

She agreed and took the aptitude test I offered her, starting to fill it out right away. Meaning I felt perfectly safe to leave her unsupervised for a moment as I went to grab her a giant top and weird stretchy black trousery things from Clara's room. Then took them with me to the console room to see if she had any better ideas on who she was.

"Alright then, old girl. Who is she?" I asked, holding the monitor as she kept the loading screen spinning around, asking me to 'Please Wait' in Gallifreyan. Like I'd ever had the patience to wait for anything. "She's a New Zealander, very far off of Earth, and she was poisoned by something that shouldn't have even been in this galaxy, it shouldn't be hard to find her." She was still loading, making me sigh and get more impatient. "Come on, it should be easy!"

The console groaned in complaint of me rushing her, before coming up with a 404 Not Found screen. "That's not possible, come on. Even Clara's fragmented selves showed up!"

"Who's Clara?"

I jumped as the girl appeared behind me, silent like a ninja. Why did I always pick up the ninjas? "Don't do that or I'll end up having a dual heart attack!" I gasped, clutching at my chest as I looked at her stood in a blue best like before, still bare legged with a pair of stripey blue mens boxers on. "Why are you up? That test should have kept you busy for far longer than that."

She handed it to me, fully filled. "I finished it ages ago and got bored. I've been asleep for the last 4 years, I'd rather not just lie in a bed. Who's Clara?"

Flicking through the papers quickly, I frowned as I saw each question answered in a different language, from Earth ones to a small amount of Kaled. That was a tiny bit worrying, as it was the original dialect of Skaro, and therefore the Daleks. "All correct. Are you sure you don't remember anything?"

"I remember... Fear. I was running from someone, someone I couldn't ever hope to get away from, but then... I don't know, it all just stops." She sighed, her arms going around herself to let me see just how scared she was of even how little she remembered. "It's weird. I just keep remembering her voice, the voice of the woman coming after me. You can't leave me, Gee. I can't lose again, not this time."

"Gee? Do you think that could be the first letter of your name?" I asked her softly, wondering if maybe that could help. "Like Grace, Gwen?"

The girl shook her head again, cornflower blue eyes lost in thought, trying to piece together her missing past. "I don't, I can't... It's like... It should be there, but..."

"But it's out of reach, or just isn't there at all?" Gee nodded. "I know that feeling, yeah. You should pick a name, an interim one, just with the same letter. Gee is a great nickname, but I can't call you that all the time. I'll get up a list of names for you."

And got it up on something called , letting her look through them as I looked through the aptitude test again. Every single answer was right, but even things that she shouldn't have known were, like how fast you needed to go to travel faster than light, how old the universe was, how old it lived to be. Things that even I barely knew. "Gee, how did you know all this?"

She shrugged, looking at the screen intently, the worse reflected backwards onto her eyes. "It was easy, don't know. I liked the questions about numbers. They only had one answer, whereas the words ones were more what you thought, an opinion. Words just flow and flow, while numbers have a point where they end."

"That's a strange way of thinking about it. I don't think I've heard someone say it like that before." I commented, before the door opened and Clara came in. It had been about 12 hours by now, and I was technically still parked in her classroom. "Oh, hello there."

"First, move the box. Second, I can't just leave you with her, if you're the first thing she sees when she wakes up then she's going to have a heart attack." She sighed, before Gee stepped out from behind the console, half naked so she stopped and blinked. "Ah, right. Hello. You're awake."

She nodded, her white hair getting tucked behind her ears once more as it fell. "Yes. I'm awake. Hello. Are you Clara?"

"Yeah, I am. I, um, I'm sort of like the Doctor's friend." The Blackpool girl smiled, holding out her hand to her, which she just sort of stared at for a moment before touching it cautiously in reply, like it was the snake that put her in this position. "What's your name?"

That made her smile and she moved to pull the monitor to show us the name she'd picked. Georgia. "The Doctor told me to pick a name starting with the letter G, because I don't know my name. I really love the name Georgia, but he said apparently Gee is a good nickname as well?"

Which made Clara look at me with a confused expression on her very expressive face. "How come it's only ever you who could fine a young, albino Kylie?"

"She's not even Aussie, Clara." I shot back, offended that she could say such a thing. "It's more New Zealand. Georgia here woke up with no memories, so while I try and help her to recover them, and work out why she is freakishly smart, I think it would be a good idea for her to stick around for a while. What do you think about that, teach?"

"I think either she needs clothes or I need sunglasses." Clara replied, making Georgia frown down at herself, not understanding. I'd known Amy and Gee was far paler, so that was saying something. "That melanin deficiency thing, that's not gonna be permanent, is it?"

Nodding, I leant against the console to look at them both. Same height, and same sort of face shape too, kind of wide but with big expressive eyes. Definitely needed name labels. "Should be. Depends on what species she is. The TARDIS can't find her, but I think she's basically human. I borrowed some of your clothes for her, I've lost the wardrobe again, hope you don't mind."

Clara now picked up the top and stretchy trousery things before frowning. "Property of Captain Jack Harkness, Mickey the Mouse wishes he could be this buff. Doctor, this is so not my top."

Wasn't it? "Where the hell did I get it from then? Jack took all his clothes home after last time he stayed here. Ach, no matter, take her off to get dressed, you're better at all that malarkey."

"Going, going. Anything to not be blinded. No offence, Gee, but you're as pale as milk."

They both headed off into the interior TARDIS, leaving me alone to look at the test again. Her handwriting, gently sloped and cursive, was also shaky. Like her brain was moving so fast that her hand was struggling to keep up. "Oh, Gee. Who are you and who were you running from?"


	2. Chapter Two

**Georgia:**

Clara helped me to change into a pair of dark denim trouser and a top once the Doctor dismissed us. Well, he didn't say dismissed, but we were dismissed. Clara was nice, and I really liked her, and she seemed to like me as well, but was still cautious for some reason, cautious of the Doctor too. So I didn't say much as the man himself decided to give over control over where we were going to her. "Take a punt."

"Right."

"Your choice. Wherever, whenever, anywhere in time and space. You've got a reputation to uphold for Georgia here."

She smiled at him as I played with the collar of my jacket, wondering where we'd go. All this, it was new, everything was new, but I had no fear of it. I was just so excited and happy to be awake and not stuck in a constant nightmare. "Well, there is something, someone that I've always wanted to meet. But I know what you'll say."

The Doctor shrugged at her. "Try me."

His friend shook her head, like she was prepared for an answer he was going to give. "You'll say that he's made up, that there's no such thing."

"Go on."

Now Clara looked at him properly. "It's. It's Robin Hood." The Doctor repeated her as she walked up to the gallery, leaving me next to the beautiful console of his ship, eating a yoghurt as the Doctor insisted I had to keep eating. "Yeah, I love that story, I've always loved it, ever since I was little."

"Robin Hood, the heroic outlaw, who robs from the rich and gives to the poor." The pretty girl nodded. "He's made up. There's no such thing."

Clara looked back at me, rolling her eyes with a knowing smile so I laughed a bit. "Ah, you see? He's always like this, thinks he knows better than everyone."

Now the Doctor rolled his eyes. "Excuse me, she's my guest, not yours. Don't alienate her before she even remembers who she is." I liked you both, you were kind and a little dysfunctional but made a nice little family. "Old-fashioned heroes only exist in old-fashioned story books, Clara."

"And what about you?"

I frowned, not understand what she was saying there. "Him?"

"Yeah, him, Gee. He stops bad things happening every minute of every day. It's how we found you."

Which made me decide that I was definitely on her side. "That sounds pretty heroic to me, Doctor. You saved my life, I'd have just kept on sleeping without you."

At which point he stole my yoghurt from me and seemed surprised that he liked it. "Just passing the time. Hey, what about Mars? The Ice Warrior Hives."

Sounded far too cold for me, and besides, Clara had already made up her mind. "You said it was my choice."

"Or the Tumescent Arrows of the Half-Light. Those girls can hold their drink." I, I didn't understand that at all. "And fracture 15 different levels of reality. I think I've got a Polaroid somewhere..."

"Doctor!" Clara cried, getting impatient and frustrated. "My choice. Robin Hood. Show me. Like you said, we've got to impress Georgia."

"Very well." And he started to set some coordinates. "Earth, England, Sherwood Forest. 1190AD. Ish." Loving the ish. Made it much more exciting. "But you'll only be disappointed and Gee will never believe that you are as awesome as you think you are."

She just ran off to change as we landed with a bump before we went outside to look at the beautiful forest, the sun filtering through onto my white skin and hair. "It's stunning."

He nodded with a small smile on his face. "That it is, Gee. But, no damsels in distress, no pretty castles, no such thing as Robin Hood."

Then an arrow came soaring out at us, which I caught quickly and easily, looking at the sharp point. "You called. Very nice catch my lady, truly. Very, very nicely done with the box, also sir. I saw a Turk perform something similar at Nottingham Fayre. It's a trick with mirrors, no doubt."

The Doctor stared at him, taking the arrow from my hand. "A trick?"

"A good jest, haha."

"This is not a trick." He complained as I just looked between them, confused. "This is a TARDIS."

The man in front of us just shrugged, taking out a sword now. "Whatever it is, you bony rascal and moonlight maid, I'm afraid I must relieve you of it."

My brain was just completely lost now, making me look at the Doctor. "Moonlight Maid?"

He patted my shoulder a little. "You'll find out tonight, Gee. You're a wee bit pale." OK, sure, whatever that meant. "This is my property."

"Well, don't you know all property is theft to Robin Hood?"

And he stood on a sort of fallen log bridge, the Doctor really not looking happy. "You're not serious? You'd steal from this Moonlight Maid?"

"I'm many things, sir, but I'm never that." Robin laughed, making me get annoyed with him. "Robin Hood laughs in the face of all."

"And do people ever punch you in the face when you do that?"

He shook his head. "Not as yet."

Today was looking good, the Doctor looked ready to punch someone. "Lucky that I'm here then."

Before the bloke could say anything further, Clara came out of the TARDIS, which was surprisingly only a little blue box, dressed in a red medieval style dress with floaty sleeves and a silver pendant on her forehead. "Might be a little much, but what you reckon, Doctor? Gee?"

"By all the saints. Another maiden!" Robin breathed, looking in awe at Clara. "Are there any more in there?"

"Is that?"

"No."

She didn't believe him and got very giggly and girly. "It is, isn't it? You found him, you actually found him. You actually found Robin Hood."

The Doctor glared at her. "That is not Robin Hood."

Which made boy, Robin, get very cocky. "Well then, who sir, is about to relieve you of your magic box?"

This made him walk forward to stand on the bridge with him, looking equally as cocky. "Nobody sir. Not in this universe or the next."

"Well then, draw your sword and prove your words."

"I have no sword. I don't need a sword." And opened his coat, turning to prove it. "Because I am the Doctor," then put on a gauntlet. "And this, is my spoon. En guarde!"

They traded thrusts and parries, the spoon somehow standing up for itself very well. He hit Robin on the back of his neck as he passed him, making me laugh. "You're amazing."

He was smiling at that while I tucked my hair behind my ears again. "I've had some experience. Richard the Lionheart. Cyrano De Bergerac. Errol Flyn. He had the most enormous -" Clara cleared her throat. "Ego."

She laughed too now, linking arms with me as we moved closer to the running water they were balancing over. "Takes one to know one."

Our friend now slapped Robin's backside, but he retaliated by cutting a button off his coat. So the Doctor held his arms wide and let the other man come from him, but at the last moment deflected it and turned so they were back to back. And then pushed him into the water. "Like I said. My box."

"Doctor?" I asked, not seeing him in the water, before he got pushed into the river from behind. "Damn. Are you alright?"

He didn't say anything, most likely peeved, but dried off as Robin lead us off to his camp in a narrow gully, the group living in caves under the treeline. "Let me introduce you to my men. This is Will Scarlet. He is a cheeky rogue with a good sword arm and a slippery tongue."

"My ladies." Then the Doctor pulled out some hair as he bowed to us, scanning it with his green torchy thing. "Argh! What do you want with my hair?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's realistic, I'll give you that."

Robin continued regardless. "And this is Friar Tuck. Aptly named for the amount of grub he tucks in to."

"You skinny blackguard." But as he stepped forward, he almost fell and looking at the Doctor. "What are you doing?"

The Doctor was holding his sandal. "This isn't a real sandal."

"Yes it is."

At which point he sniffed it and made a face. "Oh. Yes it is."

"This is Alan-A-Dale. He's a master of the lute, whose music brightens up these dark days."

And he started to sing, making me get frustrated. No, just no. "Stranger you are welcome here, in Sherwood's bonny glade. Ow!" Then Doctor had thankfully shut him up by taking a vial of his blood.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry. Blood analysis." Then frowned. "Oh, all those diseases. If you were real, you'd be dead in 6 months."

"I am real."

GG. "Bye."

Robin was determined to introduce us all to his men, so kept talking. "And this is John Little. Called Little John. He's my loyal companion in many an adventure." The mountainous man stepped aside and a small one jumped forward, to general merriment. Ugh, that was annoying. "Works every time."

Clara was just completely in awe as I stood next to the Doctor, wondering how they were so happy all the time. "Oh, I cannot believe this. You, you really are Robin Hood and his Merry Men."

"Aye! That is an apt description." Robin beamed. "What say you, lads?"

They agreed, laughing still as the Doctor got just as annoyed as I was. "Stop laughing. Why are you always laughing? Are you all simple or something? I'm going to need a sample." Then threw Robin a golden goblet, making me wrinkle my nose in disgust.

"Achem." Now he looked at Clara as I smiled, looking up into the sun, loving the feel of it on my skin. How long had I slept for? How long had it been since the sun had been shining on me? What sun even was it? Oh, it felt incredible to be awake, to feel this life again, even if I couldn't remember anything. "Excuse me, sorry. What are you doing? Are you showing off for your new friend?"

"Well, they're not holograms, that much is obvious. Could be a theme park from the future." He told her as he put an arm over my shoulder. "Or we might be inside a miniscope." Clara told him to shut up. Did they always bicker like this? "Yes, a miniscope. Of course. Why not?"

"Your friends seem not quite of the real world."

She shook her head at him. "No, no he's really not. Not most of the time, and that's when it's just us and not with his new friend Georgia."

Sorry, but there was a question no one here was actually asking. "Dark days?"

Robin frowned at me. "My Lady?"

"You said that, um, that these were dark days?" I asked, the Doctor frowning at me also. Why was it surprising that I'd ask that? Was I supposed to already know? "What did you mean?"

"King Richard is away on Crusade, my Lady." Who? "His tyrant of a brother rules instead."

This seemed to be making Clara excited all over again. "And the Sheriff. Cos there is a Sheriff, right?"

"Aye." Alan agreed. "It is indeed this jackal of princes who seeks to oppress us forever more."

Good luck with that. "Or 6 months in your case."

Robin changed the subject quickly. "It is a shame to dwell on murky thoughts when there is such beauty here."

But that wasn't right, his eyes hid so much, just like the Doctor's. "Why are you so sad?"

"Why do you think me sad, Lady Georgia?"

Easy. "Laughter and words. They can keep flowing, they can never stop. Easy way to hide something under the surface."

Nearly everyone in the camp was staring at me now, but Robin answered the question regardless. "You know, I do not live this outlaw life by choice. You see before you, Robert." Clara was now speaking with him. "Earl of Loxley."

"Sorry. Do go on."

He wasn't quite sure what was happening any longer, but did so. "I, er, I had my lands and titles stripped from me. I dared to speak out against Prince John. But I lost the thing most dear to me."

"What was she called?"

"You're so very quick." Robin commented. "Both you and Georgia. How does the Doctor stand it?"

A look at him told me that he liked people being smart around him, before Clara smiled sweetly. "Marian?"

That surprised him. "You know her?"

Clara nodded, committing to it. "Oh, yes, I had always known her." Liar.

"It was Marian who told me that I must stand up and be counted." Why? There was only one of you, it wasn't hard to count. "But I was afraid. Now this green canopy is my palace and the rough ground my feather bed. Maybe one day I will return home, but until that day. Until that day, it is beholden on me to be the man Marian wanted, to be a hero for those this tyrant slaughters."

The Doctor, who had been looking up at the sky and the surrounding foliage, finally came back to the ground to look at him. "What time is it, Mr Hood?"

"Sometime after noon."

"No, no, Time of year." He corrected. "What season?"

"Oh, Dame Autumn has draped her mellow skirts about the forest, Doctor. The time of mists and harvest approaches."

This only seemed to annoy him further. "Yeah, yeah. All very poetic. But it's very green hereabouts, isn't it? Like I said, very sunny." Clara didn't understand. "Have you been to Nottingham?"

She still didn't understand. Neither did I, to be honestly, I didn't ask questions. I liked piecing things together a bit at a time. Like how I was going to piece together my past and hope I liked what I found. "Climate change?"

He just looked at her. "It's 1190."

"You must excuse me. The Sheriff has issued a proclamation and tomorrow there is to be a contest to find the best archer in the land. And the bounty, it's an arrow made of pure gold."

This made the other woman cry out. "No! Don't, don't go, it's a trap!"

And of course they started to laugh again. "Well, of course it is! But a contest to find the best archer in the land? There is no contest!"

"Right, that isn't even funny!" The Doctor cried, getting furious. "That was bantering. I am totally against bantering."

"How can you be so sure that he is not the real thing?" Clara asked him while I just looked at her. "Gee, you don't even know who you are!"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I believe what the Doctor says and if he says he can't be, then he can't be."

So she looked at the Doctor. "When did you stop believing in everything? why won't you let Georgia believe?"

"When did you start believing in impossible heroes?"

She gave him a knowing smile. "Don't you know? In a way, it's rather sweet."

Then she headed off as I took a bite out of my apple, but the Doctor took it, stole a bite himself, then scanned it. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Gee. Come on, you're staying with Clara while I get something from the TARDIS. Please, Georgia, keep your head down or you could get hurt. Listen to Clara, she will keep you safe. Promise?"

"Pinky promise." I smiled, offering him my pinkie. He looked at me for a moment, seemingly confused by what I was doing, before his long, cool and weathered pinkie wrapped around mine and we pulled a little to show a promise sealed. And he gave me a soft, sad smile, like he was remembering something, before heading back in the direction of the blue box. "See you later."

He didn't say anything but gave me a little wave as I ran to catch up with Clara and the menfolk, before we boredly stood up to watch an archery contest. Not as interesting as I expected, they were shooting at targets, not each other. But I did as the Doctor said, putting the cloak Clara had on to hide my hair and clothes, just doing what everyone else was. "In the contest for the golden arrow, after 10 rounds, the battle is betwixt our Lord Sheriff," obligatory cheers from the crowd, "and the stranger known as Tom the Tinker."

Who just so happened to be Robin in a broad rimmed hat, and he got a cheer from all his men. "Shall we make the contest a little more interesting, my Lord? The targets seem a little close. What say you, another 20 paces?"

"Why not?" So the central target was moved back before the Sheriff shot his single black arrow into the centre. "Now, Tinker. Let us see thy true face."

Only his own white fletched arrow split his nemesis'. "Ye gads!" That could not be a real saying. "He has split the arrow." We noticed mate. "Truly, he is the finest archer in all England. Come forward, Tinker, and claim your prize."

But before he could, strangely, an arrow with multicoloured feathers split those also. The Doctor's. "He's full of surprises, isn't he? Georgia, is your father always like that?"

"He's not my father, and I have no idea. We only met yesterday." I told him, taking down my hood to look properly. "I have no memories from before then."

"I am the Doctor. My skills as a bowman speak for themselves. I claim my reward." The Herald knelt before him, but the arrow was just tossed aside in our direction. And Little John picked it up. "A mere bauble. I want something else."

"Name it."

He smiled scarily. "Enlightenment." Good luck with that. Something told me that it was far harder to find than just winning an archery contest.

Only Robin split his arrow also, before the Doctor's next ricocheted off of a guard's armour to split it. You could see it was so not him doing that, it was obviously pre-programmed, the trajectory and torque were totally off. His opponents next one hit even without him looking. "This is getting silly." He replied as I saw a fight approaching. Especially as he then used the torch thingie to blow up the arrow circuitry.

"Fascinating." The Sheriff smiled. "Seize him!"

Three knights drew their swords, Clara taking what looked like a halberd from a rack. So, I ran over and took a sword as well, somehow expertly wielding it. "Gee, what the hell are you doing?! Put that down!"

"I'll be fine, Doctor!" I told him, moving to defend myself easily as Clara could barely lift the halberd. "Something tells me I was trained to do this."

"Don't worry, Doctor." Robin smiled, taking down his hood. "I'll save you and Miss Georgia. For I am Robin. Robin Hood!"

By this point I was already fighting one of them, and sliced off one of his arms. It sparked a bit, showing it wasn't a man at all. "Doctor!" And waved at him with it. "Hi. Robot. Why a robot?"

He beamed, running to my side as a violet shone in a cross pattern from the helmet. "Now we're getting somewhere. Nice one, Georgia!" Before looking at Robin as he made me throw down my sword. "He surrenders!" And knocked Robin's out of his head with some martial arts move. "Hai!"

"You miserable cur. I had them on the run."

"Excuse me? Georgia was defending you! Right Gee?"

I didn't answer, looking around the area as the Knights surrounded us. "Flee, lads, flee!" Robin yelled at his men. "Live to fight another day!"

They all legged it as the Doctor stood defensively in front of Clara and I. "To the dungeons with all of them."

"What are you up to?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Quickest way to find out anybody's plan, get yourself captured."

We were dragged into a stone chamber, a single cross illuminating the room as we got chained into a line, Robin, then me, then the Doctor, and lastly Clara. "Splendid. Enchained." Clara agreed as I remembered the hair pins she had used to keep my fluffy white fringe off of my face. I get one out, I'd be able to pick the lock. "Trussed up like turkey-cocks. Thanks to your friend." What the hell was a turkey-cock?

"Shut it, Hoodie." He shot back. "I saved your life."

"Your friend Georgia and I had the situation well in hand."

He rolled his eyes. "Long haired ninny and amnesiac pixie versus robot killer knights? I know where I'd put my money. No offence, Gee."

I shrugged, not overly caring as I pretended to adjust my hair, but took out a pin instead. "If you had not betrayed me, I would have been triumphant."

And argument was starting as I tried to ignore them. "You would have been a little puff of smoke and ashes." This seemed to be funny to him. "You'd have been floating around in tiny little laughing bits in peoples goblets."

"Balderdash. Ha!"

This made him worse, both of them talking over the top of me, Clara staying out of it as my heart ached. "Oh, right, here we go. It's laughing time."

"Well you amuse me, grey old man."

"Guard! He's laughing again!" The Doctor shouted as I sighed and flopped back, not wanting to be stuck between them, even if I was able to pick my locks. "You can't keep me locked up with a laughing person."

"Oh, find that, I find that quite funny. Do you know, I feel another laugh coming on."

"Guards, I cannot remain in this cell. Execute me now." Oh, excellent.

"You heard him." Robin agreed. "Execute the old fool."

The Doctor now realised he'd said it wrong. "No, hand on. Execute him."

Robin shrugged. "I do not fear death, so execute away."

"Execute him. I'd like to see if his head keeps laughing when you chop it off."

"Oh, Robin Hood always laughs in the face of death."

"Yes, a head rolling on the floor laughing. I'd pay good money to see that."

And they both started to yell for the guard, giving me a pounding headache as well as a pounding heart. Apparently Clara felt the same because she started to yell over the tip. "Oh, will you two, shut up!" They both stopped and looked at her, so I took the moment of peace to sit up and start picking at the lock again. "Do either of you understand, in anyway, at all, that there isn't actually a guard out there?"

"Oh."

"I did, in fact."

The Doctor shook his head. "No, you didn't."

Clara was in school teacher mode, now. "I said shut up. The Doctor and Robin Hood locked up in a cellar. Is that seriously the best that you can do? You're determined to starve to death in here squabbling. I feel sorry for poor Georgia, stuck between you. These are some of her first memories."

Robin wasn't fully listening. "Well, I'll tell you one thing. I'd last a lot longer than this dessicated man crone." This made the Doctor scoff. "Really."

"Well, you know what? I think you'll find that I have a certain genetic advantage. Oh!"

His friend had yanked on the chain attached to his wrist, giving me a moment to pass my lock pick from my free hand to my still bound one without being spotted. "It is not a competition about who can die slower."

"It would definitely be me though, wouldn't it?"

"There was supposed to be a plan. Do either of you two have a plan, because no offence, Georgia, you've only been awake about 18 hours out of 4 years." None taken, but I did have a plan.

The Doctor seemed to think that he did too. "Yeah, of course I have a plan."

Robin was just the same. "I too, have a plan."

"Okay." She nodded. "Robin, you first."

"Why him?"

Clara sent him a glare. "Doctor, shut up. Robin, your plan."

"I am biding my time."

She sighed. "Thank you, Prince of Thieves. Amnesiac Pixie, anything?" I winked, but didn't say anything, so she moved along. "Last of the Time Lords?" Time Lord? They were all dead, the Time War wiped them out. Didn't it?

He nodded at her. "Yes, I have a plan."

Only she knew him far too well. "Can you explain your plan without using the words sonic screwdriver?" That shut him up. "Because you might have forgotten the Sheriff of Nottingham has take your sonic screwdriver, just saying. It's always the screwdriver." How the hell was that a screwdriver? Why did a screwdriver need a light?

"Okay." I could see the cogs in his head turning fast, trying to think of something better to say. "Let's hear Robin's plan first."

"Oh, for Gods sake."

At which point the door was unlocked, a gross guard on the other side. "See, I knew there was a guard. There was a guard listening the whole time, I knew it." And started to laugh again, brilliant.

"The Sheriff himself commanded me to listen, to find out which of you is the true ring leader."

"Ah, so he can do the interrogating." The Doctor nodded knowingly. "Very wise."

Robin nodded as well, looking at the man. "Excellent. He will get nothing from me."

The doctor glared at him. "No, no, no, no, no, he will get nothing from me, because interrogation, that's where I always turn the tables. You see, that's my plan."

"Just hurry up and take me to him."

"No, no, chop chop, come on."

What they had both failed to notice was that he was taking Clara's chains and leading her out. "Seriously."

They didn't half complain as she was lead away, the door locking again behind them. So, I finished unlocking myself and stood, clicking my back, making a big show of it. "And that, was my plan, guys. A girl is never trapped so long as she has a trusty hair pin. But, I will only free the both of you, if you promise to shut up while we go and find Clara."

"I promise to stay quiet."

So I unlocked Robin quickly, the small pin coming in handy before looking at the man who'd saved me. "Doctor?" He muttered something under his breath. "What? Why did you just call me an impressionable pixie who is too smart for her own good?"

He huffed, not looking at either of us. "I didn't, you heard me wrong. I promise to stay quiet until we find Clara, happy?"

"Very." I beamed, unlocking him next, before going to the door and unlocked that. "That guard will still be escorting her. Come on before he comes back."

So they followed me as we walked, the Doctor keeping hold of me by the hand so I didn't go too far ahead. Only he then pulled me through a metal doorway, Robin following us. The area was long, spartan and metal, with a glowing hemisphere on a console at the end. "At last, something real. No more fairy tales."

"What is this place?"

"A spaceship." I frowned, tucking my short hair behind my ears before my hands instinctively went to the controls. "More 29th century than the 12th."

The Doctor looked at me carefully, but used another screen to start looking at something. "Data banks, data banks, data banks. Where's this ship headed?"

"The Promised Land." I told him, looking through their system. "Have you heard of it?"

"Like the Half-Faced Man, but more sophisticated." He frowned, looking worriedly at his screen. "It disguised itself as a 12th century castle. It merges into the culture, tries to keep a low profile, so no one notices. That explains the robot knights. But the engines are damaged."

I nodded, finding what he was looking at. It was worrying. "They're leaking radiation into the local atmosphere, creating a temporary climate of staggering benevolence."

Robin blinked at us. "I told you. It's too sunny. Too green." The Doctor told him, moving to stand in front of me, protective for some reason. He'd only just met me, why would he care? "And there is even an evil Sheriff to oppress the locals. This explains everything, even you."

"It does?"

He nodded at him. "Well, what does every oppressed peasant force need? The illusion of hope. Some silly story to get them through the day, lull them into docility and keep them working." But that didn't make sense. Why would they want them to have hope for rebellion and therefore one day have enough hope to cause an uprising? "Ships data banks. Full of every myth and legend you could hope for. Including Robin Hood."

The Doctor showed him the screen, various book illustrations and film adaptations, one played by a familiar looking little clownish man. "Isn't it time you came clean with us? Look at you. Perfect eyes, perfect teeth. Nobody has a jawline like that. You're as much a part of what is happening here as the Sheriff and his metal knights. You're a robot."

There was no way he was a robot. You could easily hear his tell tale heart. "You dare accuse me of collusion with that villain, the Sheriff?"

"I dare."

"You false tongued knave." Robin growled, glaring at him. "I knew I should have skewered you when I had the chance."

So I now stood in front of him. "I'd like to see you try mate. He's the only person I actually trust in this room, I won't let you hurt him." Before the metal door was blown inward by lasers. "They could probably try, I don't have much to fight lasers with."

The Sheriff now came in with Clara and some knights. "Surrender, outlaw."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, moving back in front of me. "Very good."

"Kill him. Kill Robin Hood."

"You can drop all that stuff now, Sheriff." He was about to super embarrass himself... They were both human. "He is not what you think he is. This is all play-acting."

Clara stared at him, coming closer. "We can't just let them kill him."

He wasn't listening. "You're not fooling anyone, Sheriff."

A blast from a knight knocked Robin back before Clara got in between them both. Only he grabbed her around the waist and back her up to the window. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Surviving."

"No!"

Robin then fell backwards out of the window, taking her with him. "No! Clara!" The Doctor yelled, running to the window with me, just seeing the full moon reflected on the moat. It was deep enough water, as long as they didn't pass out, they'd be fine. "Gee, careful!"

He pulled me back as I almost fell, not knowing if I could swim myself, before the Sheriff started to talk again. Did he have to? His voice was just droning on and on and on... "Yeah, sorry about the girl. Such a pretty thing, though yours is just as stunning. Maybe she could replace the other as my Queen."

The Doctor securely kept hold of my arm, trying to keep me safe. "Stop pretending. You and your fancy robots. I get it. I understand."

"Oh, so you too know my plans?" He wished that he did.

"You and your robots plundering the surrounding countryside for all it's worth. Gold. Gold." Always believe in your soul, you've got the power to know, you're indestructible... What the hell was I just singing in my head? "Of course. Gold. You are creating a matrix of gold to repair the engine circuitry."

Which made him nod. "This is the scheme the mechanicals have devised. Soon this Skyship will depart. Destination, London. THere I will obliterate the Kind and take my rightful place as ruler of this sceptered isle."

Were men always like this? Coming up with foolhardy plans that were likely to kill everyone? "It won't work. There's not a chance. I've seen the instruments, there's been too much damage. You're stoking up a gigantic bomb! Doctor, tell him!"

Except we were just knocked out.

When I came to, I was lying on the Doctor, my pale face reflected in a plate he had on his lap to show how I was hit on the forehead, not that I couldn't feel it, and was bleeding. So, he'd pulled my hair back with a leather cord and used some cloth to tie it up. "Doctor?"

"Carefully, Georgia, you've got some bad concussion, but you're alright." He told me, helping me to slowly sit up. "Did it knock any memories back though?"

Thinking for a moment, I shook my head, not feeling much different apart from the headache. My heart still felt the same. "No. Is that a good thing or a bad thing, though?"

"Depends on who you are. Here, take this." And I was handed another shiny gold plate. "A little reflection might shine some light on the situation."

I frowned at him, not understanding for a moment, before getting it. Light, their deadly one, would reflect off the trays. "You are both fit for labour." One of the knights said a moment later."Stand aside while these peasant units are freed."

Good luck. "I'm afraid you're a little late." The Doctor smiled at them, leaving me to right myself, ready for a fight. "We're already free!"

The knight powered up its violet beam, but we both reflected it with the gold, so it hit the wall. Then others helped, bouncing the light to hit the knights, until even the last one was destroyed. And some girl kissed the Doctor on the cheek. "You've saved us all, clever one. Thank you."

At which point she joined the others in escaping so it was just us as the Sheriff appeared. "You are indeed an ingenious pair, Doctor, Lady Georgia. But do you really think that your peasants revolt can stop me?"

"I rather think you're the revolting one around here." Then he frowned at his own words. "I'm bantering. I'm bantering."

"Listen to me." I told him, knowing that we didn't have enough time for any of this. "You don't have enough gold content to seal the engine breach. If you try and take off, you'll wipe out half of England."

He didn't believe me. "Liar! From my sky vessel, I shall rule omnipotent." Good luck with that.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You pudding headed primitive, shut down the engines. What you're doing will alter the course of history."

This wasn't overly bothering him though. "I sincerely hope so, or I wouldn't be bothering." Then tossed one of the knights heads into a cauldron. Making it an alloy really wouldn't be doing him any good.

"Listen to us. It doesn't have to end like this." He insisted. "Shut it all down, return Clara to us, and we'll see what we can do."

The Sheriff blinked at him. "I don't have Clara."

"Robin's one of yours." He didn't understand as I sighed, thinking about how this was likely to end up going. The Doctor was going to get just a little embarrassed... "He's one of your tin headed puppets, just like these brutes here."

"Robin Hood is not one of mine."

"Of course he is. He's a robot, created by your mechanical mates."

Which was only confusing our foe further. "Why would they do that?"

The Doctor was determined to keep going. "To pacify the locals. He's the opiate of the masses."

Even the Sheriff saw my point. "Why would we create an enemy to fight us? What sense would that make? That would be a terrible idea."

"Yes! Yes it would." The Doctor finally agreed, realisation hitting him like a tonne of bricks. Or a tonne of feathers. Just a tonne of something, a tonne was the weight, it would still crush him. "Wouldn't it? Yes, that would be a rubbish idea. Why would you do that? But he can't be. He's not real. He's a legend."

A legend who just so happened to be behind us at that very moment in time. "Too kind! And this legend does not come alone." Because Clara was with him as Robin stuck a dagger into a wall hanging and slid down with our friend clinging on. "You alright?"

"Hell yeah."

"Good." Now looked at his arch nemesis. "My men have taken the castle. Now I'm going to take you." Why did that sound really dirty in my brain?

So he switched off the two knights by his side and then smiled darkly. "What do you say, outlaw? A final reckoning?"

"Oh, yes."

They started to fight, the Doctor looking carefully at his friend who seemed very excited at what was going on. Did she know we were about to blow up? "Are you OK?"

"Fine, yeah."

"Good." I told her, my head still aching slightly, the room spinning. "We don't have long."

The keep was starting to rumble and shake around us, while the other two just kept fighting above us. "Doctor."

He nodded at Clara. "I know. The whole castle is going to blow."

We watched the fight upstairs as the Sheriff sliced Robin's arm so he dropped his sword, as the Doctor had done with his spoon the day before. He went for the outlaw, but turned at the last moment so they were back to back, before knocking him into the crucible of gold below.

Robin came back down bia another rope, beaming like the cat who got the cream. "Sorry. Was that, we, was that showing off?"

"That was amazing."

Masonry started to fall as the castle shook again, the Doctor grabbing my hand tight. "Run! Come on, run!"

The spaceship took off as we made it across the moat, making me stop and look back at the rising hunk of stone and machinery. Even in my dozy, spinning state, I knew what was about to happen and it was not good. "It's never going to make it. Not enough gold." Then remembered. "OK, who has it? The golden arrow, I saw Little John take it."

So I was handed it as the Doctor stared at the Merry Men. "You took it?"

"Of course we did." Tuck agreed. "We're robbers."

"I love you boys." Then looked at me. "It might just be enough gold content to get the ship into orbit and out of harms way."

I offered it to Robin, but he shook his head. "No, it has to be you, Doctor. My arm is injured."

At which point he struggled to even get the arrow onto the bowstring. "You were good at this." Clara frowned. "We saw you. You won the tournament."

"The arrows were mechanical." I informed her, before taking it all from him. "OK, let's see how I do, shall we?"

And before they could stop me, I shot it up towards the ship. "Gee!"

"Is now a good time to say I can see three of them, all rotating?" Then it hit home and gave the ship that last little boost it needed to get through into orbit. "Oh, that worked."

The Doctor insisted on supporting me on the long walk back to the TARDIS, given that was ever so slightly struggling with my concussion, before I was sat with him just outside the box, resting my head on his shoulder. Watching Robin give a private archery lesson to Clara. Then she kissed his cheek and said goodbye and it was our turn to say farewell. "So, is it true, Doctor?"

"Is what true?"

"That in the future, I am forgotten as a real man? I am but a legend?"

He nodded sadly. "I'm afraid it is."

Robin thought for a moment, then nodded with a small smile. "Good. History is a burden. Stories can make us fly."

"I'm still having a little trouble believing yours, I'm afraid."

"Is it so hard to credit?" He asked, the smile getting a little wider on his lips. "That a man born into wealth and privilege should find the plight of the oppressed and weak too much to bear." The Doctor went to say something, but Robin kept going. "Until one night he is moved to steal a TARDIS? Fly among the stars, fighting the good fight and saving damsels like Lady Georgia here? Clara told me your stories."

The Doctor gritted his teeth a little. "She should not have told you any of that."

This just made him laugh a little, like everything else always did. "Well, once the story started, she could hardly stop herself. You are her hero, I think. And you are quickly becoming Georgia's."

I gave him a nod and a smile, but he shook his head. "I'm not a hero. Gee did far more than I did today."

"Well, neither am I. But if we both keep pretending to be..." He laughed softly. "Perhaps others will be heroes in our name. Perhaps we will both be stories. And may those stories never end." So now the two men shook hands for some strange reason. "Goodbye, Doctor, Time Lord of Gallifrey. Goodbye Georgia, Girl who seeks out the origin of her own story."

We both smiled at him, the Doctor still supporting me carefully, taking most of my slight weight. "Good bye, Robin Hood, Earl of Loxley."

"And remember, Doctor, I'm just as real as you are."

Then we went back into the TARDIS, leaving him a gift for his help.


	3. Chapter Three

**The Doctor**

"Sit down there and I'll sort out your concussion in just a moment." I told Gee as she stumbled drunkenly into the TARDIS behind me, Clara having obviously gone off to change out of her period dress. She did like the dressing up. "You did very well today. Do you have any idea on where you might have learned to sword fight like that? Or where you learned to pick locks?"

She shook her head before stopping, nearly overbalancing as she sat down heavily, holding the part of her head that had been bleeding. It had slightly gone through the gauze, that bright splash of colour through her ivory skin. "No. I just... Muscle memory, I guess. I don't know what else to say about it, my body just remembered even if I don't."

I frowned as I came back over, sanitising my hands and then gently taking off the bandage to look at the bump. It wasn't that bad a wound, but how easily she'd gotten a concussion was worrying. Something told me Gee was the sort of girl who would break easily. "Hmm. Very clever, too. You'd never seen that tech or circuitry before, yet you knew how to work it."

"Well so did you, Doctor." Georgia pointed out, wincing as I carefully touched the affliction. With the way she pulled back, I knew that at least her body was fully awake now, her pain receptors having come on, but she'd also made a full recovery in record time from the Fluxxian Adder. After years, when 6 months should have killed her. "You were even better with it than I was."

"Yes, Gee, but I'm a Time Lord." I informed her, spraying a healing salve onto the wound so it slowly healed up, leaving nothing there but a smear of blood that I quickly cleared away. "I'm very good with computers. You, on the other hand, all my scans tells me that you are part human, part something undisclosed. You should really only be good with your own species technology."

Georgia looked at me for a moment, her cornflower blue eyes darkening to a sort of ocean colour. "You're the last of the Time Lords. That's what Clara said when we were in the dungeon. Is that what Clara said when we were in the dungeon. Is that true?"

I just looked back at her for a brief pause, wondering if she knew just how young and sweet she looked. I'd taken girls like her with me before, like Amy, or Susan, and they always ended up getting hurt. Could I ever risk doing the same to her? "Yes." I told her after a moment. "Yes, that's true."

"What happened?"

"There was a war. A war to end all wars." I replied, her earnest expression just making me want to protect her. How could anyone want to hurt her? Why had they been chasing her? Oh, talking about any of this... It brought back memories that should stay buried. "I'd rather not talk about it, Georgia, if you don't mind."

That made her look down, picking at her nails like she thought that she'd upset me. Something told me before she lost her memory, Gee was the sort of girl everyone had adored, there was no way she could purposely upset someone. There wasn't a mean bone in his body. "Sorry. So, um, what happens now? Do you take me back to where you found me, drop me off somewhere else?"

I frowned, not understanding what she was asking of me. Why would I drop her off somewhere, she was still an amnesiac. "What are you talking about? Why would I drop you off anywhere?"

"Because I'm not any better. I still have no memories. I thought you'd give me to someone else so they'd have to deal with me." Gee replied, tucking those white curls behind her ears again. "You said you'd help me, but you've already done so much. You woke me up, you saved my life and just treated my concussion. I can't ask for you to do any more for me, that's asking for far too much."

In reply, I carefully went to touch her ear, before pulling back quickly and a key fell into my hand so I could show it to her. "I think this belongs to you."

Georgia took it gingerly, looking confused, but also impressed. If I was going to look like one, I might as well pretend to be a magician. "But I don't have any keys. Why does this belong to me? How did you get it from behind my ear?"

"A great magician never reveals his tricks. It's yours because it's a TARDIS key. And, it doubles as a key to Clara's flat, which hopefully she won't mind you sharing with her."

"Why do you want me to stick around?"

I shrugged, not having a real reason. Well, aside from the fact that whoever took her likely wanted to find her again. To be able to keep her safe, I needed to know where she was at nearly all times, so keeping her mostly safe with my best friend? Best plan of action. "You could fall back asleep at any moment, or something worse could happen, just because I wasn't around. What kind of Doctor would I be if I let you go without ensuring you're definitely well?"

"Doctor, you tried to take me to an ice skating planet when I had flu, and it caused pneumonia." Clara informed me, coming into the console room with her stuff ready for work. Ah, she was probably on her way there when she came back in, would probably want a lift. "OK, I think this looks alright? What do you think?"

"I think that I should probably feed Georgia."

"Thank you, for that, Doctor. That really related to what I was asking. And she's not a cat, don't say it like that. Gee, what do you think? You might actually have a decent opinion." She asked her, standing in front of the girl. "So? Too posh for school?"

There was a pause from her, before she shook her head. "You look lovely. I like the skirt."

Clara then gave me a smug smile. "See? OK. I'm off, as long as we're not actually still in Sherwood Forest, because otherwise we're really going to confuse Robin."

Ah, we weren't in Sherwood, but we were also not in London. So, I knocked a lever and quickly moved us before she realised. "Nope. We're just outside the school, but not in plain sight, just as how you like it, teach."

"Thank you. Oh, and if you're planning on leaving Gee with me while she recovers, not that I mind so long as she doesn't snore, then please support me just a little by by buying her clothes and setting up the spare room." Clara informed me, before darting out as a school bell could be heard. "Bye!"

"Does she always just rush off like that?"

"When there's a boy involved, yeah." I nodded at Georgia, who was getting to her feet, still clutching her key. "Here, let me help. We can put it on a cord around your neck, replace whatever you keep going to play with."

She nodded a little, allowing me to thread it onto some black cord and then tie it around her neck. Probably best to make sure she wouldn't lose it, we didn't know how well she'd retain memories. Either way, she was brave, she was an expert swordswoman, genius computer whizz, or archer. In the end, her entire life had been erased, for all I knew, she could be some missing prodigy.

"So, what do you say, Georgia? Do you want to stay with Clara while we work on getting your memories back?" I asked her, wishing that I knew who she was. I solve one mystery and I get two more, that had always been how my life worked. Wouldn't have it any other way, really. "She can teach you about day to day living, far better than I can, and you can keep a diary of anything you might end up remembering. From that, I can work out how I might be able to get you back to any family that's left looking for you."

"There, there could be people looking for me?" I nodded. "I don't even remember my name, how could I hope to remember anyone else.?"

I put my hands, in what I hoped was a comforting way, on Gee's shoulders, getting her to look at me full on. Hopefully, I wouldn't also end up scaring her with my face either, I did not need that right now. "You will remember them when the time comes, I promise. It'll be the best day of yours and their lives, getting back your family, Gee, and they'll get back their daughter."

"Do you wish you could get back your family?"

Oh, now there was a question. I only had two kids, then Susan, my granddaughter, who had been considerably older than my youngest in the end. Tyler, my son, was her father, a good 100 years before we got Galaxy Kaster, who was born with silver hair like the stars. She'd only been a kid when the planet either got destroyed or hidden. Never knew what happened to her, unlike Libby or Tyler.

But they were all gone, unless by some miracle I managed to save the planet. Something told me that I didn't, but I tried to keep hope in my hearts that I somehow managed it. It's just that hope could be dangerous.

"Yes, of course I do. But for me, there is practically no chance of that ever happening, Gee." I replied, looking away as I couldn't help but think of my dear wife, Libby, Tyler, Susan, then tiny little Galaxy. "Now, we should get you set up at Clara's. We need to get you clothes, as well, so we'll have to go shopping." Joy.

"Um, yeah. OK." Georgia agreed, tucking her hair behind her ears again. "Let's go shopping."

 **DW**

Turned out Gee hated shopping just as much as I did, because she tried to go into the men's section, not realising that there was supposedly a difference between who could wear a piece of material, which I didn't either to be honest, but a sale rep came over. And asked if she was lost and wanted to get taken back to the women's department. Which had been full of flouncy dresses that Gee had turned around and said looked like a garden threw up on them.

So she shook her head and said that she was going to look at the jeans that weren't already ripped and the shirts that had cool things like dragons on them instead of make up and things that didn't make sense, like how boys were better than books, which they weren't. The sales rep looked at her, before coming back with a haughty tone. Apparently that was just the fashion for women and she should put up with it if she ever wanted to get laid. Whatever that was.

Georgia knew somehow and just folded her arms, still holding a pair of socks she'd picked up, solely because they had cats on them, and raised a white eyebrow, her cornflower eyes going back to that strange ocean blue sort of colour. Her response was fantastic.

She didn't care about that and just wanted to get clothes that were practical and were less gender stereotypical. Then, in a voice that really didn't sound like her, turned around and said that if she didn't want to be a brain dead sheep that followed what everyone else did, she should actually get a personality of her own instead of doing what society told her to be.

At which point the sales rep just stormed off, obviously not happy with what Georgia had told her.

We ended up buying a good few pairs of jeans, mostly mens because pockets, a single dress, because, again, it had cats on it, legging thingies, the dragon shirts, and several others from the men's departments because of cool designs. Then she had a pair of giant boots, which she said was just to stand on peoples feet if they annoyed her, and two pair of docs, one in red, the other in metallic blue.

"I can find a way to pay you back." Gee tried as we took it back into the TARDIS to then go to Clara's flat and set up the spare room for her. "Get a job like Clara has or something."

"Georgia, you're not from this time and lack any form of ID. I just had to go and buy those leg shavy things from the list Clara sent of what to get you, because you look about 6." I replied, dumping the bags unceremoniously on the floor as I went to the console. "Besides, it wasn't me paying." Then threw her a bank card I stole from an old friend. "Last time I saw Jack, I swiped it. Should keep you going until we work out where you're from."

She nodded a little, picking at her nails again. Before speaking in a small voice. "Who do you think wanted to hurt me?"

I sighed, again seeing how young she was. It was like she never grew up properly, depending on how long she was actually out for. "Someone who will never get anywhere near you ever again, I promise. What happened to you, it was not your fault and if I ever find the person responsible, I will make them pay for it."

"You only just met me, but you already want to help me so much. And you keep trying to say that you aren't a hero." Sher frowned, before sitting down to look at the bags around her. "You helped me to get all this stuff for crying out loud."

"Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, Gee, but not in mine. Not like this. But I'm still here for you and Clara, and everyone else that deserves help." I replied, seeing how lost she was. How scared of her lack of identity. "Gee, you're fine, really. You're fine. I won't let anything happen to you, Clara will as well."

Georgia smiled a little, wiping her cheek quickly to make it look like she hadn't almost cried. How young was she really? She looked mid-twenties, but there were times, a lot of the time, when she seemed just far too young. "Y, yeah. Yeah. Thank you, Doctor. Really. It means a lot to me."

I nodded and took her with me out into Clara's flat, setting up the spare room with, again, cat print covers and some things in the bathroom. She learnt quickly how to make cups of tea, which she loved, not so much the coffee Clara drank, and the microwave, which she loved getting ramen out of, and then got very confused by her washer dryer, how it worked and it felt like I was teaching a kid how to live on her own. Which, most likely, I was.

"Well, I should head off, do you think you'll be alright if I leave you, Gee?" I asked her softly, as she got the hang of the taps. I'd had to stop her from putting her hand under the hot one, I didn't fancy a trip to A&E this evening. "She'll be home soon so she can help you more, with the TV and suchlike."

Georgia turned off the old tap and looked at me, her white hair getting tucked away again. "Are you sure? I mean, Clara is your friend as well, why don't you want to see her?"

I shook my head, going back towards the TARDIS before I bottled out and made her move into the TARDIS with me. "No, best not. She's often stressed out after work, don't want to get more shoes thrown at me. I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Really?"

"Promise." I told her, offering my finger to her, so she smiled and linked hers to it, a sign that I wouldn't break my deal with her, a pact that would never get betrayed. "See you soon, Gee." I told her as I waved from the door of the TARDIS. "Really, I'll be back. I never break a pinky promise."

"Bye Doctor. I believe you, don't worry." She smiled, waving back at me. "See you soon."

And I closed the doors, dematerialising as quickly as I could, before I could change my mind. Why did it feel like I just dropped off my child at university?


	4. Chapter Four

**Georgia:**

"What happened?" I asked, Clara coming back earlier than I expected, or was told. "Did something happen?"

She didn't reply as I stood up from where I'd been happily ironing all the clothes I'd washed. I liked the washing machine, it was really fast and spinny. Made all the clothes smell amazing as well. Only apparently the Doctor had snuck into the flat and parked the TARDIS in her room, so it was barely big enough for her. "You just have to squeeze through. Gee, you come in too."

"Doctor?"

"Why do you have three mirrors?" He asked, while I snuck in after Clara, who threw herself down onto her bed. "Why don't you just turn your head? Gee, you don't have three mirrors, do you?"

I shook my head as she just looked at him, ignoring me while I took a seat onto her ottoman. "What are you doing here? Why have you just left Georgia doing all the housework? She's like my maid!" What was a maid?

He shrugged. "You said you had a date and Gee was watching something on TV." I still hadn't worked out how to change the channel, I was watching some programme about orange aliens from the planet Essex. Apparently there was a lot of drama there and it was OK to just walk up to people and slap them, it was like a greeting. "I thought I'd better hide in the bedroom in case you brought him home." She told me she wouldn't, because it apparently wouldn't be fair on me, as I had nowhere else to go. "But early, aren't you? Did it all go wrong, or is this good by your standard?"

Clara shook her head. "It was a disaster, and I am extremely upset about it, since you didn't ask."

The Doctor nodded, patting my shoulder. "Fine. I need you both, for a thing."

"I can't."

He didn't understand. "Oh, of course you can. Come on. You're free. More than usually free in fact."

"No, it's just possible that I might get a phone call."

"From the date guy?" He asked, pulling me back up to my feet. "It's too late. You've taken your make up off."

She shook her head again, looking really upset so I went and hugged her. I didn't like people being upset. "No, I haven't. I'm still wearing my make up. Gee, you smell so nice, you've been doing all the washing again."

This made me smile, but it wasn't computing with the Doctor still. "Oh. Right. Well, you probably just missed a bit." And now we were being ushered into the TARDIS, though Clara was determined to not end up going. "You know sometimes when you talk to yourself, what if you're not?"

I frowned at him, my hair scraped back into some semblance of a ponytail to show the very beginnings of honey blonde roots. "Not what?"

"What if it's not you you're talking to? Proposition. What if no one is ever really alone? What if every single living being has a companion, a silent passenger, a shadow? What if the prickle on the back of your neck is the breath of someone close behind you?"

Clara just looked at him, while I didn't understand. "How long have you been travelling alone?"

"Perhaps I never have." Scary thought. What about when you were going to the bathroom or in the shower?

But we were shown to a chalkboard, saying the word 'Listen.' Apparently, he didn't write it. "That's your handwriting, Doctor."

He just looked at me. "Well, I couldn't have written it and forgotten, could I?"

"Have you met you?" Clara asked with a smile, before looking at the books all around the room. "What's all this?"

"Dreams. Accounts of dreams, by different people all through history." He explained, looking so into all of this. "You see, I have a theory." Why didn't I like where this was going? "I think everybody, at some point in their lives, has the exact same nightmare. You wake up, or you think you do, and there's someone the dark, someone close, or you think there might be. So you sit up, and turn on the light. And the room looks different at night. It ticks and creaks and breathes. And you tell yourself there's nobody watching, nobody listening, nobody there at all. And you very nearly believe it. You really, really try and then... There are accounts of that dream, the same dream. Now, Clara, Georgia, there is a very obvious question I'm about to ask you. Do you know what it is?"

Clara and I both knew. "Have you had that dream?"

"Exactly."

My flatmate shook her head. "No, that was us asking you. Have you had that dream?"

"I asked you two first. Georgia?"

"I, I, I don't know. I don't sleep, let alone dream."

He stared at me for a moment, like he didn't quite believe me. "What do you mean? We've had you awake for a month now, you should be dead if you haven't slept yet."

I shrugged, before Clara kept us on the right topic. I'd just slept for 4 years, what was a month of being awake? "Yes, I have, probably. But everyone dream about something under the bed."

"Why?" He asked her, forgetting my insomnia for a while before placing her hands into a spot on the TARDIS console. "Just hold on tight. If anything bites, let it."

"What is it?"

The Doctor glanced at me, like he was trying to distance himself from me. Did, did I do something wrong? "TARDIS telepathic circuit. Wouldn't work with you, Georgia, your mind is too fragmented, there is no memory there for it to latch on to. Clara, you are now in mental contact with the TARDIS, so don't think anything rude. Georgia is rather impressionable. Might come up on the screens."

"What does that mean, that I'm impressionable?"

They both just looked at me, before ignoring my question entirely with a small, knowing smile. "The TARDIS is extrapolating your entire timeline, from the moment of your birth to the moment of your death."

"Which I don't need a preview of."

He was pressing buttons on the console, not overly listening. "I'm turning off the safeguards and navigation, slaving the TARDIS to you. Focus on the dream. Focus on the details. Picture them, feel them. The TARDIS will track on your subconscious and extract the relevant information. It should be able to home in on the moment in your timeline when you first had that dream. And then, we'll see."

Clara frowned at him as I sat down. "What will we see?"

The Doctor shrugged. "What's under your bed." And set the blue box moving. "Okay, now don't get distracted. Remember, you are flying a time machine." At which point her phone started to ring, the Doctor walking around to her. "No. No. Don't you dare. No. Don't. Don't. Don't. Just ignore it." Then we landed. "Okay, that's good. That worked. We're here."

"Sorry. I think I got distracted."

"No, no, no, no, no." He told her, checking the monitor. "The dates find. Come on."

Now it was my turn to blink, not understanding. "Come on where?"

He gave me a smile, like he was giving up with staying separate from me, and offered his hand as he went for the door. "Clara's childhood. Clara, stay here, it's not safe to risk you meeting yourself." She didn't say anything, but we were already practically out of the TARDIS by this point, and then into the night time scene beyond. "The West Country Children's Home. Gloucester. By the ozone level and the drains, mid-nineties. Clara must have been here when she had the dream."

Um... Nope. "I've been listening to Clara as she spoke about her life. She's never been to Gloucester and she was never in a Children's Home."

"She's probably just forgotten." He shrugged as I shivered, finding it very cold. "Have you see the size of a human brain? They're hilarious. Little Clara must be in there somewhere with her little brain."

We now started to walk towards the house as I had a thought. Clara's phone rang... She had a bad date with Danny... "Doctor, if Clara had been distracted, what would have happened?"

"We probably would have ended up in the wrong place." The Doctor replied. "But I don't think we have, because the time zones right. Come on."

At which point we broke into the Children's Home, the Doctor scanning a corridor before a balding man stuck his head out of a door. "How did you two get in?"

"Your door must be faulty."

Then showed some paper that I swore was blank. "An inspection? It's 2 in the morning."

"When better?" I asked with a bright smile, taking his lead. "Do you always work nights here?"

"Most nights, yes."

My escort tilted his head to the side. "Do you ever end up talking to yourself?"

The man hesitated before nodding. "All the time. It's this place. You can't help it."

"What about your coffee?" This confused the bloke, who looked back at his mug on the table. "Sometimes, do you put it down and look around, and it's not there?"

"Everybody does that."

"Yes." The Doctor agreed seriously. "Everybody."

Now the TV turned off, the sudden absence of noise making me squeeze the Doctor's hand, still holding it. I'd learned one thing fast since waking up, I hated silence, but I also hated far too much noise. I needed a happy middle, like listening to the radio while sleeping, or using noise cancelling headphones while in a busy place like the supermarket. "Who turned your telly off?"

He shrugged. "It does that. It just goes off."

And he turned to look at it again, and we vanished out of his line of sight before the Doctor took a mouthful of his coffee. I didn't like coffee, but I did like tea. And energy drink, and anything else with a high caffeine content. Though, it actually made my heart really painful, beating far too hard. "So, a whole month of no sleep? Is this why Clara's clothes are always freshly pressed and ironed?"

"I need something to do, I just haven't been tired. I'll lie in bed for hours, my eyes closed, but I just get bored. I don't think I've ever been in a dream state either." I told him, keeping my voice low so I didn't wake the potentially baby Clara. "I don't feel tired, I don't feel any different. I slept for at least 4 years, a month or two won't be missed. Besides, how long has it been since you had a proper sleep?"

"What are you talking about?"

I looked at him carefully, my pale blue eyes looking at his whitish blue. "I don't know. I just... You're tired, but you don't sleep. Is it a dream thing? That you keep having bad dreams so you avoid sleep?"

The Doctor didn't say anything for a long moment, before stopping to look at me hard. "Why do you know nothing about yourself, yet you seem to memorise everything about everyone else? You seem very good at learning, yet you haven't learnt a thing regarding your past."

"Maybe, maybe I'm learning about others to try and compensate for my lack of identity." I smiled, not feeling fear or worry about any of this. I felt... Safe, so long as I was with the Doctor or Clara. But mostly the Doctor. "If I'm going to remember, I'm going to remember. There's no need to worry about something that's not harming me at the moment."

He nodded a little, his eyes moving to the door at the end of the corridor, where a familiar voice could be heard. "Why does she never listen?"

Only as I'd thought, it wasn't a baby Clara in the home, it was some little boy, so the Doctor, somehow, ninja'd into a chair at the far end of the room to look at a book as I hovered in the doorway, staring at the lump in the covers. Not good, something told me that was really very, truly, not good. "Where is he?"

"Doctor? Georgia?"

"I can't find him." He informed us as I crept around the edge of the room to get closer to him. "Can you find him?"

Clara was staring at him in disbelief. "Find who?"

"Wally." Why did he need to know where Wally was? Who the hell was Wally? "He's nowhere in this book."

"It's not a Where's Wally one."

"Well, how would you know?" He asked the little boy, sounding a little annoyed. "Maybe you just haven't found him yet."

The boy just looked at him. "He's not in every book."

This surprised the Doctor a little. "Really? Well, that's a few years on my life I'll be needing back. Are you scared?" He nodded. "The thing on your bed, whatever it is, are you scared?" The boy agreed. "Well, that's good. Want to know why that's good? Let me tell you about scared. Your heart is beating so hard, I can feel it through you hands. There's so much blood and oxygen pumping through to your brain, it's like rocket fuel. Right now, you could run faster and you could fight harder, you could jump higher than ever in your life. And you are so alert, it's like you can slow down time. What's wrong with scared? Scared is a super power. It's your super power. There is danger in this room and guess what? It's you. Do you feel it? Do you think he feels it? Do you think he's scared?" He shook his head. "Nah, loser. Turn your back on him."

"What?"

He did it himself, gesturing for us to do the same. "Yeah, turn your back on him. Come on. You too, Gee, Clara. Georgia, your back now. Do it now, turn your back. Lovely view out this window."

Clara and I stood with him, the little boy standing between her and the Doctor, who had taken my hand again. "Yeah. Come and see all the dark."

"The deep and lovely dark." I replied, fixing my eyes on that infinite blackness. "We'd never see the stars without it."

The Doctor nodded a little. "Now, there are two possibilities. Possibility one, it's just one of your friends standing there, and playing a joke on you. Possibility two, it isn't."

"So, plans? Plans are good." Clara smiled, trying to stay brace for our young friend."

"You on the bed, I'm talking to you now. Go in peace. We won't look." The Doctor told it, his eyes trying hard not to focus on the reflection on the dark glass. "Just go. If all you want to do is stay hidden, it's OK. Just leave."

"Is it gone?"

"Don't look round, Gee." He told me softly. "Not yet."

The boy didn't understand. "I can't hear anything."

"Don't look round." Though he started to do so anyway. "Look away! Look away now! Don't look at it! Don't look round. Don't look at the reflection."

He was getting more fearful. "What is it?"

Not a clue, but I didn't really want to have that as the last thing I learned. "Imagine a thing that must never be seen. What would it do if you saw it?"

"I don't know."

The Doctor sighed, most likely wishing that he did. "Neither do I. Close your eyes, Close your eyes. You too, Georgia, Clara." I did as I was told, just trusting him. He saved me before, he's save me again. "Give it what it wants. Prove to it that you're not going to look at it. Make a promise. A promise you're never going to look at it."

With a small shiver of fear, the boy agreed. "I promise never to look."

"The breath on the back of your neck, like your hair's standing one end. That means, don't look round." Then the door slammed shut as the creature, or the child, left. "Gone."

"He too my bedspread."

Which earnt him a withering look. "Oh, the human race. You're never happy, are you?"

He was still holding Clara's hand. "Am I safe now?"

So Clara started to do something with his army men, while the Doctor played with an orange robot. I was just cross legged on the floor, enjoying the soft hum of the room that replaced the eerie silence. Though the old man wasn't helping the small boy. "Nobodys safe, especially not at night, in the dark. Anything can get you. All the way up here, you're up here all alone." At which point Clara slapped him around the back of the head with a book. "What was that for?"

"Shut up. Leave this to me. Gee, keep him sat down." I nodded and she smiled at me and the boy. "Thanks, Georgia."

"People don't need to be lied to."

Clara shot him an annoyed look. "People don't need to be scared by a big grey haired stick insect, or a white Amnesiac Pixie, but you're both here. Georgia, keep him still and quiet." Then went back to what she had started with a boy. "See what I'm doing? This is your army."

The Doctor tried to stand again, but I kept him down by hugging him from behind and resting my head on his shoulder. "Plastic army. Gee, come on, not hugging."

"Sit."

"And they're going to guard under your bed." Clara continued. "You see this one? This is the boss one, the colonel. He's going to keep a special eye out."

He shook his head, not believing her. "It's broken, that one. It doesn't have a gun."

This only made her smile brighter. "That's why he's the boss. A soldier so brave he doesn't need a gun. He can keep the whole world safe. what she was call him?"

"Dan." She blinked at him. "Dan the Soldier Man. That's what I call him."

I could see the worry in her eyes, probably thinking of her failed date with Danny. "Good. Good name."

"Would you read me a story?" He asked, moving to sit on his bed. "It'll help me get to sleep."

"Once upon a time." The Doctor told him, just pulling me along with him instead of me weighing him down. Then touched the boys head and he fell backwards, asleep on the bed. "The end. Dad skills."

We headed back to the TARDIS, the Doctor not really saying anything to either of us until Clara asked a question. "So is it possible that we've just saved that kid from another kid in a bed spread?"

Nodding, he sat me down, scanned me with the sonic, then kept going with the console, a cup of tea appearing in my hand. Where did that come from? "Entirely possible, yes. The bigger question is, why did we end up with him and not you?"

Clara looked sheepish. "I got distracted."

"By why that particular boy?" He asked again. "You don't have any kind of connection with him, do you?"

"No, no, no. No. Of course not." At which point she completely refused to look at me as I gave her a raised eyebrow. That was so baby Danny Pink! "Why do you ask?" He was too busy doing something to the TARDIS. "Well, er, will he remember any of that?"

He smiled a little at that, looking pleased with himself. "Scrambled his memory. Gave him a big old dream about being Dan the Soldier Man." Only this made her start crying, so I went up and hugged her tight. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head, her eyes fixing on the Doctor who was now looking worried. "Doctor, I am so sorry to ask, and, you know, I realise this is probably against the laws of time, or summat. Er, could you do me a favour?" Which was to try and help her fix her practically ruined date before it was too late. "Is that what I look like from the back?"

"It's fine."

I raised my eyebrows. "I was thinking it looked good, actually. I told you those shoes were a good move."

That earnt me a hug before she headed into the restaurant, leaving the Doctor and I in the TARDIS together. "The TARDIS has no idea why you aren't sleeping. There's no block on your mind that should stop you sleeping, or to stop you at least entering a dream state. The part of you that's human at the very least should also be dead or dying, even if you're mostly something else."

Picking at my nails again, I didn't look at him, afraid of what he could be about to tell me. "What does that mean? Is it a bad thing?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea, beyond the fact that even though it should make it easier to track your family down, it's actually making it harder. But I'll still get you home, Gee, I promise."

"I trust you. I do, I swear." I smiled, making him give me a weak one in return. "I know that you'll manage it, you'll find my family."

The Doctor nodded once more before we started to look for this creature again, ending up in a ship at the end of the universe, a time traveller who had been thrown too far camping out. Which meant that he wanted to pick Clara back up, just as her date started to fail again. "I am trying to have a date. A real life, inter-human, actual date! It's a nice normal, every day, meeting up sort of thing. And what I would like to know, is there any way you two can make this any more surreal than it already is?"

At which point our spacey friend took off his helmet, looking like a slightly different version of Danny. I'd met him briefly, he's called on her for an emergency school meeting. According to her, I was her New Zealand cousin who had an accident and needed help. "Hello."

"Ah, Clara!" The Doctor beamed, coming out of the TARDIS to look at her. "Well done, you found her. Now, this is really a bit strange."

"Danny?"

He looked at her in confusion, putting an arm around my shoulder. "What's gone wrong with your face? It's all eyes! Why are you all eyes? Get them under control!"

Orson frowned at her, holding his helmet under his arm. "Er, who's Danny?"

I tried to help her a little. "This is Colonel Orson Pink, from about 100 years in your future."

"Orson Pink?"

Which obviously set the Doctor off laughing. "Yeah, I laughed too, but Gee glared at me. Sorry. Do you have any connection with him?"

"Connection?"

"Yes, maybe you're like a distant relative or something?"

She briefly looked at him, unable to take her eyes off of Orson for long. "How, how would I know?"

He now realised his mistake. "Right. Okay." and looked at Orson. "Er, well, do you have any old family photographs of her? You know, probably quite old and really fat looking?"

"I don't."

"How did you find him?"

I pointed at the Doctor. "Well, you left a trace in the telepathic circuits. The Doctor decided to fire them up again and they lead us straight to him. So he is something to do with your timeline." Clara nodded a little, starting to understand. "And you'll never guess where we found him."

We took her to the rocky planet and the capsule Orson had been stuck in for a very long time, my flatmate looking around it with a frown. Where are we?"

"The end of the road." The Doctor replied as I forced myself out of the TARDIS. It was wrong being here, it was utterly wrong and my whole body hated it. "This is it, the end of everything. The last planet."

She stared, eyes wide. "The end of the universe?"

"The TARDIS isn't supposed to come this far, but some idiot turned off the safeguards. Listen." Clara did so, not realising that the painful silence she heard was the whole point. "Nothing. There's nothing to hear. There's nothing anywhere. Not a breath, not a slither, not a clock or a tick. All the clocks have stopped. This is the silence at the end of time."

Clara looked back as Orson started to empty the contents of a locker into a bag, things clattering to the floor. "Then how did he get here? If he's from 100 years in my future."

The Doctor shrugged, frowning at me as I hugged my arms around myself, not liking that we were here. I'd been fine with time travel before, bit... This just felt horrible. "Pioneer time travel." Then he got something up, showing her the news feed of when he left. "Rode the first of the great first time shots. They were supposed to fire him itno the middle of next week."

"What happened?"

I shrugged, trying to fight the Doctor as he insisted in putting his jacket around me, taking my shivers for being cold. "He went a bit far. Doctor, I am fine."

He shook his head, not letting me take it back off. "Keep it on or you're going back into the TARDIS, Georgia. Look at him now though. Robinson Crusoe at the end of time itself. The last man standing in the universe. I always thought that would be me."

Clara just gave him a look. "It's not a competition."

"I know it's not a competition." Everything seemed to be with him, even just getting ready in the morning. "Course it isn't. Still time though."

"He looks like he's packing."

Duh. "He's been stranded for 6 months, just met time travellers. Of course he's packing."

Then Orson himself came in, holding all his belongings in a single bag. "You can do it then? You can get me home?"

"We just showed you, didn't we?" The Doctor pointed out. "A test flight to a restaurant?"

"Yes, but to my family, to my own time."

He nodded. "Easily. I can do that, can't I girls?"

Clara nodded, speaking before I could, my eyes staring out into the barren wasteland beyond. "He can, yes."

Orson frowned at her a little. "Is everything OK?"

"Yeah, find. I'm fine."

Chances were, she was his great grandmother or something. "No. Nope."

The Doctor glanced over from where he was messing with a console. "Is she doing the all eyes thing? It's because her face is so wide. She needs three mirrors." Which earned him a stern look from Clara, before he continued. "We can't leave immediately though. The TARDIS needs to recharge." Now Clara and I were just plain confused. "Overnight should do it. Right, Gee? Clara?"

Pioneer seemed terrified by the very idea. "Overnight?"

"One more night." He agreed. "That's, that's not a problem, is it?"

"No. No, no problem."

I hated liars. "It's a shame, isn't it? There's only 4 people left in the universe and you're lying to the other three. The universe is dead, everything that ever was is dead, and oh so long gone. There's nothing beyond this door but nothingness forevermore. So why is it locked?"

"Please, don't make me spend another night here."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Afraid of the dark? But the dark is empty now."

Orson just shook his head, his eyes heavy with all the things he'd seen just out of the corner of his vision. "No. No it isn't."

Clara took him back into the TARDIS as I sat beside the Doctor in deck chairs, just waiting for the night to fall and to finally get the Doctor his answer. "If the universe is practically dead, surely these creatures you're looking for would be too?"

"Maybe. But that's only one way of looking at it." I frowned a bit, silently asking him the next question. "That's a hell of a lot of ghost."

At which point the lights dimmed. Great.

"Do you have your own mood lighting?" The capsule creaked a little, before words appeared on the main hatch. Do NOT Open this Door. "Where did that come from?"

"It's always been there." He replied as I shrank down in his jacket, shivering again. "It's only visible in the night lights. Apparently at night, he needs a reminder. 6 Months stranded alone, I suppose it must be tempting. Company."

More creaking moved around the ship, my eyes following it to the door. "What's that?"

With a look, the Doctor just made me feel nervous. "What kind of explanation would you like?"

Surely that was obvious? "A reassuring one?"

"Well, the systems are switching to low power. There are temperature differentials all over this ship. It's like pipes banging when the heating goes off."

I knew the noisy pipes was something sinister. I didn't like them from the start. "I told Clara there was something in the pipes."

That got me another small smile. "Me too." Then a screaming noise made us both jump, my heart pounding so hard that I could feel it in my throat, my fingers and my toes. "Atmospheric pressure equalising."

This time... I was less inclined to believe him. "Or?"

"Company." Lovely.

"Why are we doing this?" I asked, really, truly, feeling scared now. "Why don't we just go?"

He shrugged. "Because I need to know."

I did not like where this was going. "Why? About a creature you think _might_ exist?"

"What would they do if everyone was gone?" The Doctor asked me carefully. "When there was only one man left standing in the universe?"

Things started to bang around us, making me grab his arm in shock. "What's that?"

"Potentially, the hull cooling."

Not helping. "Potentially?"

"Believably." Things were still banging. "Someone knocking. Yes."

"You don't truly believe all this, do you? hiding creatures. Things under the bed."

"You don't truly believe all this, do you? Hiding creatures. Things under the bed?"

His eyes fixed on the front door. "What's that in the mirror, or the corner of your eyes-"

Wait... I knew that. Someone used to sing that to me, as a joke, knowing that it didn't scare me. "What's that footstep following, but never passing by? Did we come to the end of the universe because of a nursery rhyme?" The banging got worse, before the Doctor sonicked the hatch to unlocked and the mechanisms began to turn. "Please, lease tell me that's you turning it..."

"No." He replied quietly. "Get in the TARDIS with Clara, Georgia"

"Why?"

He wasn't looking at me. "I have to know." Please, please, don't do this... "The TARDIS, now!"

This wasn't going to end well. "Okay. Okay. Somebody is out we know, we can leave!" Only he wasn't moving. "Please, Doctor!"

"It's a pressure lock. Releasing it could have triggered the opening mechanism."

But that was only a theory! It was not worth risking your life if this wasn't 100% assured. "Is there even an atmosphere out there?"

"There is an air shell around the ship." Then he glanced back at me. "Why are you still here, Gee?"

"Because I am not going to leave you in danger!"

His eyes went furious for a moment, both worried about me and excited for what could be outside that door. "Then you will never travel with me again, because that is the deal! TARDIS, now! Do as you are told!"

So I just ran to the door, my mind playing that in my head before I stopped and looked back at him. "You're an idiot."

"What happening?" Clara asked as I got inside, still shaking in his jacket. "Gee?"

"He's opening the door." Then looked at him through the monitor, remembering the rest of the rhyme. "Perhaps they're all just waiting, perhaps when we're all dead, out they'll come a-slithering from underneath the bed." Once the airlock was open, air rushed out of the capsule, the scanner starting to flicker. "No! Please, no, please!"

A klaxon sounded as the TARDIS jolted, making Clara grab me before I toppled over. "That's the alarm." Orson told us. "The airshells breached. Stay here."

Orson went out there with his suit and helmet on, before bringing back a now unconscious Doctor, Clara and I rushing to his side, something getting pressed into my hand as his older friend tried to take over his care. "Is he OK?"

"He'll be fine, he's just out cold."

"Something hit him." I frowned, lightly touching the bump on his head.

He sounded a little uneasy. "Everything was flying out of that door."

That was one possibility, sure. "Could have been that."

Three sounds were still repeating in the background, Clara getting to her feet to look at Orson. "What was out there? What were you so afraid of?"

"I've been out there a long time. My own shadow probably."

At which point the TARDIS moved, ever so slightly. "That's probably just the last of the air escaping."

Clara and I exchanged looks. "You say probably a lot."

"We are safe?" He asked us, as the doors creaked once more. "Nothing can get in here, right?"

"Probably."

Air hissed around us, like it was escaping from the doors and a bell tolled further inside. "Have either of you got a plan?"

Probably. "Telepathic circuits. Maybe that can do a thing." I replied, sticking my fingers where Clara had before, thinking of the poem. The nursery rhyme that had made me laugh when I was younger, but now terrified me. It was the only memory I had, the only thing that I could focus on but it was better than staying where we were. Maybe I'd meet the person who told it to me. "Come on, come on, you can do it!"

The time spinny thing above us got up to speed as the Doctor wheezed behind me, my brain thinking that I wanted to keep him safe. So, maybe I got a little distracted from my destination.

With a thump, the TARDIS landing and the bell no longer tolled, no more banging could be heard either. "Is that it?"

"I don't know." I admitted. "I think so."

"Where are we?"

I headed for the door, shaking my head as they tried to follow me. If this was my past, I wanted to find things out alone. "Somewhere else, I hope. You two stay here and look after the Doctor."

Orson shook his head. "You can't go out there by yourself."

Why not? "It's my past, my timeline. If I can learn something..." I gave them a weak smile and then headed out the door.

The creaked slightly as I closed them, seeing a raised platform with a single bed on top. Where a child was lying curled on their side, sobbing under a blanket as silvery moonlight shone down on him. Unless I had once been a boy, I had no idea who this was. "Hello?"

The door into the barn I was in opened and two people came in, so I ducked under the bed to avoid them seeing me, listening to their conversation. "Why does he have to sleep out here?"

"He doesn't want the others to hear him crying."

"Why does he have to cry all the time?"

A woman sounded frustrated with the man with her. "You know why."

"There'll be no crying in the army." She tried to quiet the man but he wasn't listening. "Don't pretend you're not awake. We're not idiots."

The woman tried a much kinder approach. "Come and sleep in the house. You don't have to be alone. If you can hear me, you're very welcome in the house, with the other boys. I'll leave the door on the latch. Come in any time."

Both of them started to leave now, making my heart ache in more way than one, the poor boy alone above me. "He can't just run away crying all the time if he wants to join the army."

"He doesn't want to join the army." She shot back. "I keep telling you."

"Well, he's not going to the Academy is he, that boy? He'll never make a Time Lord."

My heart now stopped, remembering how I got distracted by thinking about the Doctor, and now they were talking about Time Lords, of which he was the Last Of. I accidentally went into the Doctor's childhood...

"Gee! Georgia!

"Hello?" The boy asked, slowly sitting up in bed. "Who's there? Hello?"

The kid sat on the edge of the bed, only I grabbed his ankle as if by reflex. Noooooooooooo. "It's ok. This is just a dream. Just like back again. Just lie back on the bed. It will all be OK if you just lie down and go to sleep. Just do that for me. Just sleep."

I let go of his ankle and he got back into bed, so I moved to sit beside him on there, stoking hair softly. "Listen. This is just a dream. But very clever people can hear dreams. So please, just listen. I know you're afraid, but being afraid is alright. Because didn't anyone ever tell you? Fear is a superpower. Fear can make you faster and cleverer and stronger. And one day, you might come back here to the barn, if you're ever so afraid that you can't breathe, that there's no where else you can turn.

"But that's OK. Because if you're very wise and very strong, fear does have to make you cruel or cowardly. Fear can make you kind. It doesn't matter if there's nothing under the bed or in the dark, so long as you know it's OK to be afraid of it.

"I'll show you, like how I think someone once must have shown me. So listen. If you listen to nothing else, listen to this. You're always going to be afraid, even if you learn to hide it. Fear is like a companion. A constant companion, always there. But that's OK, because fear can bring us together. Fear can bring you home when that is the one place you need to be, however far away it may be. I'm going to leave you something, just so you always remember. Fear makes companions of us all."

And left him the soldier man Clara had given me not long ago, when she dealt with the passed out Doctor. It stood guard over him as I headed back to the TARDIS, where a now awake Time Lord was just about to come and find me. "What if there was nothing? What if there was never anything? Nothing under the bed, ntohing at the door. What if the big bad time Lord doesn't want to admit he's afraid of the dark?"

"Where are we?" He asked. "Have we moved? Where have we landed?"

"Don't look." I told him softly with a small smile of my own this time. "Take off and promise me that you will never look where we've been."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Why? Gee?"I just kept smiling. "Just take off. Don't ask questions."

"I don't take orders, Georgia."

Oh, well. "Do as you're told."

Which he did and we moved off, leaving the young boy who would one day grow up into the Doctor with the sound of the wheezing, groaning engines, strong and powerful, and to me, they meant so much hope was coming. We dropped off Orson, who hugged Clara, before leaving her with Danny, who could do no better.

"Where did we land, Georgia?"

"It doesn't matter." I smiled, before hugging him.

Which set him off fighting again, but I just clung on. "No, no, no. No to the hugging. No, no, no. I'm against the hugging. Please."


	5. Chapter Five

**The Doctor**

Why wouldn't Clara come out? Georgia was already ready, it would be more fun if her best friend, well, her only friend besides me, would come with as well. "The Satanic Nebula." I tempted, Gee in the doorway with a smile on her face, just excited to make new memories. "Or the Lagoon of Lost Stars. Or, we could go to Brighton. See, I've got a whole day worked out."

She shook her head as she did some weird flicky thing with her hair. "Sorry, but as you can see, and as Georgia knows, I have plans."

"Have you?"

"Look at me."

I was already doing that, ta. "Yeah, OK."

She shook her hair out in a really strange way. "No, no, no, no. Look at me."

Stop telling me to look at you, when you I was already looking! "Yep, looking."

"Seriously?"

"Why is your face all coloured in?" I asked her, finally seeing a slight difference. "Are you taller?"

Now she stuck her foot out as she tried to do a thing with the weird studs that had appeared in her ears. "Heels."

"What, do you have to reach a high shelf?"

"Right, got to go." Clara informed me, giving Gee a hug before heading for the door. "Going to be late."

"For a shelf?"

Clara just looked at me. "Bye." Then the emergency phone in the door of the TARDIS started to ring. "There you go, you and Gee have got another playmate."

I was busy staring at it now that our Amnesiac Pixie had opened the hatch in confusion. "Hardly anyone in the universe has that number."

The Blackpool girl just blinked.d "Well, I've got it."

"Yes, from some woman in a shop." I agreed, walking toward it. "We still don't know who that was."

"Is that her now?"

How the hell did I know? I hadn't answered yet! "There are very few people that it could be."

Only as I went to answer it, she tried to stop me. "Don't."

"Why not?"

"Because if you answer it, something will happen?" We were both now looking at her. "A thing."

Really? "It's just a phone, Clara. Nothing happens when you answer the phone." Then I picked up the receiver."

Only I must have blacked out or something, because the next thing I knew I was holding a Memory Worm up to my ear and I was say at a table. With complete dignity, I screamed and threw it down onto the table as Gee and Clara did the same. "Doctor?"

"Don't touch it."

"Where are we?" Gee asked, her accent soft and calming me down. She was good at that, and every time I tried to distance myself, even just a little from this girl who I knew would be temporary, I found myself getting drawn back in. "How did we get here?"

A man with computer chips in his head spoke, sat to the left of Clara who was to the left of Georgia, to the left of me. It was a round table though, so she was always to the right of me if you went around long enough. "Who are you? Sorry, what's going on? I don't understand."

On his left, my right, was a dark-skinned woman who's cheeks briefly bulged as she touched the worm. "Urgh! What is that thing?"

"It's a memory worm." I informed her as Clara asked her a very rude question. "Deletes your memories."

"How did I get here?"

What was with all the stupid questions today? It was like having Amy and Rory back. "The same way we all did, but we've all forgotten. Gee? Georgia, how's your head?"

She shrugged as a metal case in the middle of the table caught my attention. "And who are you?"

Answers were being spat out by speakers around the room. "I'm the Doctor, a Time Lord from Gallifrey, I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."

"I am Clara Oswald, human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will. Do I really have to touch that worm thing?"

"Yes, you do." My voice told her as Gee remained silent. "And change your shoes. Georgia."

Now our quiet friend. "I am Georgia, no designated last name, my species unknown, but I'm thought to be a hybrid between human and a lost race. I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will, because the Doctor told me to." Smooth, Pixie.

Another male voice, so computer guy. "I am Psi, Augmented human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."

So last was the other woman. "I am Saibra, mutant human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."

The case unlocked at that precise moment, showing a golden light and 2 screens so everyone could watch. "This is a recorded message. I am the Architect. Your last memory is of receiving a contact from an unknown agency. Me. Everything since has been erased from your minds. Now, pay close attention to this briefing."

Images changed from the speaker, dressed in a hooded top and silhouetted, to a zoomed in building on a planet. "This is the bank of Karabraxos, the most secure bank in the galaxy. A fortress for the super rich. If you can afford your own star system, this is where you keep it. No one sets foot on the planet with protocols. All movement in monitored, all air consumption regulated. DNA is authenticated at every stage. Intruders will be incinerated."

We saw a woman breathe into the tube, but it stayed red. Nozzles came out of the walls, burning both her and her companion alive. Next shot was an oriental couple, placing a painting into a draw. "Each vault, buried deep in the earth, is accessed by a drop shot at the planets surface. It's atomically sealed, an unbreakable lock. The atoms have all been scrambled. Your presence on this planet is unauthorised. A team will have been dispatched to terminate you."

At which point men started to bang on the door of the room we were in, ordering us to surrender. "Your survival depends on following my instructions."

"There's another exit."

"All the information you need is in this case."

Now Psi took a chip from his head and plugged it into the case. "What are you doing? Clara, keep a hold of Gee.

"Downloading."

Made sense. "Ah, augmented. Nice."

"The Bank of Karabraxos is impregnable." The Architect told us as I took a phone sized ten out of the box. "The Bank of Karabraxos has never been breached. You will rob the Bank of Karabraxos."

Then I started to run after them, but could barely keep up as Gee stayed by my side. She was a good companion, she did as she was told. Annoying, as when I found her family, she'd most likely want to stay there. Meant that I didn't have to be the one to ground her though. "OK, OK, OK. Stop, stop, stop. Far enough." Because I was very out of breath. "Augmented human. Computer augmented, yes? Mainframe in your head?"

Psi nodded. "I'm a gamer. Sorry, who put you in charge?"

Everyone, it was my thing. "You're a liar. That's a prison code on your neck."

"I'm a gamer/bank robber."

Just what we needed. "Good. This is a good day to be a bank robber. Mutant human. What kind of mutant?"

"Like he says, why are you in charge now?"

"It's my special power." I replied simply. "What's yours?"

Saibra sighed, then took Georgia's hand. For a few moments, there were two of my strange Amnesiac Pixie before she changed back. "I touch living cells, I can replicate the owner."

"Your face." Clara frowned. "When we first saw you."

"I touched the worm."

Gee was looking in interest. She had so few memories, why would I compromise what little she did? "You can replicate their clothes too?"

She shook her head. "I wear a hologram shell."

You were definitely useful as well then. "Human cells." I informed her. "DNA from a customer maybe? A disguise to get us in."

"We're actually going to do it?" Clara asked in shock. "Rob the bank?"

"I don't think we have any choice. We've already agreed to it."

So Saibra got to work, posing as Mr Porrima as we walked behind him/her. "How long can you maintain the image for?" Gee asked, her white hair and skin stark against the orange glow of the bank.

"For as long as I like."

And in we went.

"Question one." I muttered to my two girls. "Robbing banks is easy if you've got a TARDIS. So why am I not using it?"

Clara blinked at me. "Questions two. Where is the TARDIS."

"OK, that should probably be question one."

And then an alarm sounded, security grills blocking the exits. "Banking floor locking down."

Saibra didn't look back at us. "They know we're here."

Someone else came in, a woman with two armed heavies beside her, before I started at the last creature. With two toes and an orange jumpsuit, held fast by chains, he was clearly not here willingly. "What is that?"

"I don't know." I admitted. "Hate not knowing."

The woman had stopped another man, a polite, yet utterly fake, smile on her face. "Excuse me, sir. I regret to say your guilt has been detected."

"What? That, that's totally ridiculous." Wasn't it just. How did it detect guilt?

"Is it sir? Well, then, we will certainly double check." She replied sweetly. "The Teller will now scan your thoughts for any criminal intent. Good luck."

Then stepped away as the man put down his briefcase. "Interesting."

"What is?"

"The latest in sniffer dogs." I replied as I pulled Gee closer to me, wanting her where I could see her. "Telepathic. It hunts guilt."

A high pitched noise caused the man to hold his head in pain. "What about our guilt?" Gee asked, her cornflower eyes purely innocent. "Not that I know if this is wrong or not. For all I know, we're breaking in to steal and destroy a weapon of mass destruction."

That was a good way to think about it. Probably not right, but a good way to think all the same. "Currently being drowned out."

Clara looked at me now. "What's he doing?

"If he has a plan, he's trying not to think of it."

"Ever tried not to think of something?"

She shook her head as Porrima/Saibra spoke. "You may have to."

The creature roared, the woman seemingly understanding as she smiled at the man. "Ah, criminal intent detected. How naughty. What was your plan? Counterfeit currency in your briefcase, perhaps?"

"No, not at all." He insisted. "For Gods sake!"

"It doesn't really matter, we'll establish the details later." I already didn't like this woman. "The Teller is never wrong when it comes to guilt. Your account will now be deleted and obviously your mind. Suppertime."

The armour guards held the chains to the creature as it stepped closer, placing it's eyestalks together so that a pulsating ray was aimed at his head. "It's wiping his mind. Like what happened to you, Georgia, only it's turning his brain into soup."

Miss Prissy-Knickers was still talking as Georgia turned and hid her face from the sight, burying it in my jacket. Her first sight of real pain and fear. "Your next of kin will be informed, and incarcerated, as further inducement to honest financial transactions."

He screamed in agony, Gee wincing so I put a hand on her back, trying to awkwardly comfort this girl I hardly knew, all because... Well. Her age. "We've got to help him." Clara informed me.

Nothing to help. "He's gone already. It's over."

"He's in agony." She insisted. "Look at him. Oh, Gee..."

"Those aren't tears, Clara." I replied, passing the trembling girl over to her best friend, who comforted her with a hug. "That's soup."

Once the creature had finished, he pulled apart his eyestalks and the man, or the empty shell that was left of him, stopped screaming. The front of his brain pan had completely caved in. "Account closed. Take him away. He's ready for his close up." Then used her microphone to address the rest of us. "Apologies for the disturbance. Everyone have a lovely day."

We were then let through into a deposit booth, a small room with red walls broken up with faux marble columns and a computer interface on the wall opposite the ornate metal doors. "Deposit booth locking. Please exhale. You valuables will be transported up from the vault."

Saibra breathed into the tube and it turned green before turning back into herself as a case arrived. "If he can break in here and plant this thing, then why does he need our help?" Psi asked..

"Depends on what the thing is." I replied, opening the case. "OK, well, I'm no expert, but fuses, timer, I'm to stick my neck out and say bomb." Then looked at the hacker. "Ban schematic, now."

So he went to the marble column and plugged in, so a screen appeared. "The floor below is all service corridors." Gee frowned, her hands shaking but she was trying to act tough, like Clara. She was as wet as a paper bag, really, but her heart was good. "The veins and arteries of the bank."

"He wants us to blow through the floor."

"Well, we'll die if we do that."

Maybe, maybe not. Besides, who said you could be miserable? I didn't allow miserable people on my team. "Well, not necessarily. There must be a plan."

Now Clara started to be just the same. Great, it was contagious. "What if the plan is, we're blowing up the floor for someone else? What if we're not supposed to make it out alive?"

"Oh, don't be so pessimistic." I shot back, moving Georgia away from the bomb. "It'll affect team morale."

Saibra tried again. "What, and getting us blow up won't?"

"Well, only very, very briefly."

"Er, no. No way. You can do what you like. I'm going to take my chances out there." Psi told us, ignoring Gee as she tried to talk to him. "No, no, no. This guy, your dad, or whatever he is, is a lunatic."

Probably, but I was also a scary handsome genius who was nearly always right, too. "What do you want, Psi, more than anything else? Whatever it is, it's in this bank. You agreed to rob the most impregnable bank in history. You must have had a very good reason. We all must have, even Gee who probably just wanted to make me happy. Picture the thing you want most in the universe, and decide how badly you want it. Well?"

He looked at me for a short pause, before I saw him decide. "Still don't understand why you're in charge."

Neither did I, it was just a thing that always happened. "Basically, it's the eyebrows."

Clara nodded knowingly as I primed the device, placing it in the middle of the floor as it built power. We all braced wall and waited, myself around Georgia as she kept her face away from the device. Would you want to see an explosion coming right for you? Once the power peaked, there was a brief flash and the distant sound of machinery. A perfect hole in the floor.

"Dimensional shift bomb." Gee laughed. "Sends the particles to a different plane. Come on, then, team not dead."

We all climbed down into the corridors below, just before security found out that the other man hadn't been the real target, but by then, I'd returned the floor. Would have loved to have seen their confused faces. "Well, so, what are we supposed to do now?" Saibra asked, avoiding touching anyone. Couldn't really blame her. "What's the plan?"

"I don't know. The Architect set all this up." I reminded her, intrigued as to how this was happening. "My personal plan is that a thing will probably happen quite soon."

"Ah, so that's it?" She shot back, not looking very impressed. "A thing will happen?"

"A thing." I agreed. "Probably."

Now Gee found something, getting our attention. "Hey, Psi, Doctor. Thing?" And held up another briefcase. Oh, she was definitely learning and doing very well. Georgia was incredibly smart, even if she was very young. "How does he get the cases here?"

Hadn't you worked that out? "By breaking into the bank in advance of breaking into the bank."

"Well, how does he do that?" Clara asked also. "And if he can do that, why does he need us?"

"Not our problem."

Psi stared at me. "Well, what is our-" Then got stuck a bit like a scratched CD.

"You OK?"

He nodded. "Drive glitch. It's fine."

Thing was, chances were you'd be useful here. I needed to get him to be the only one to open this. "Guilt is out problem. Guilt in this bank is datal. The Teller can hear it. Ever since that first case was opened, we've been targets. The more we know about why we're here, the louder our guilt screams."

Georgia understood then. "That must be why we wiped our memories. For our own good."

"Exactly, Gee." I agreed. "Now, once I open this, I can't close it again."

"Would it be safe if only one of us learned it."

Glad that we were on the same page, Psi. "I'm waiting for you to volunteer. You didn't need that memory worm, did you? You're half computer. You can perform a manual delete. You _can_ clear your thoughts."

"OK." Psi nodded before opening the case and frowned. "I don't know what it is. You may as well look." Georgia was the closest and she did so before starting to bite at her thumb again. "Well, what are they?"

Gee didn't say anything, so I looked. 7 Short tubes with metal ends and pins that could be pulled out on top. Oh, God... "Not a clue." I lied, Gee herself not looking at anyone. How the hell did she do that? Recognise something so obscure as this, but at the same time not know anything else?

"Hmm, interesting." Saibra told us, looking between myself and Gee. "You're both lying."

"Er, why would they be ly, ly, ly, lying?" Psi stammered. "Ugh. Sorry. Stress. Drains the batteries."

Not in the mood to discuss any of this and neither did Georgia. "Interface with this."Saibra didn't like that. "Do we have time for this?"

I shrugged. "Well, why not? There's no immediate threat." At which point an alarm started. "I should stop saying things like that. Clara, you stay with Psi. Georgia, Saibra, let's go and investigate." And we headed off, while the other two kept our area held, before I kicked out a no entry grill and helped the girls through. "Aren't you going to ask us?"

"Why did you both lie?" Saibra asked, looking interestedly at the Amnesiac Pixie. "Those hardware things, you know what they are."

I nodded, Gee having bitten through her thumbnail, thick red blood dribbling down her ivory skin. That was a sign of a lower body temperature, thick blood. "Exit strategy of sorts. How did you know I was lying?"

"I've had a lot of faces, I find them easy to read. Not so much you, Georgia. You... You're hard. There's no identity to see, really."

"Quite a gift." This confused her as I took Georgia's hand and wrapped it in some bandage I kept in my pocket. I'd been known to be accident prone, it payed off to carry a mini hospital in your pockets. "It got us in here."

Saibra shook her head. "Mutant gene. No one can touch me. If they do, I transform. Touch me Doctor, Georgia, and you'll be looking at yourselves. I am alone."

Gee frowned at her, playing with the edge of the material around her hand absently. "Why?"

Her eyes were sad. "Could you trust someone who looked back at you out of your own eyes?"

"I barely know my eyes, or know myself." Georgia replied. "I only have about two months of memories."

Only then there were moans ahead of us and we followed them all to a row of cells as Clara and Psi caught up. "Oh, my God. Why is he even still alive?"

The man from before, complete with a caved skull, was only being held up by chains around his wrists in the cell. And he wasn't the only one. "I don't know. But someone is watching." A red light blinking on a camera.

Computers found us again so we ran to another grill which I sonicked open to allow us through. "Now, this says place to hide."

"Where are we?"

Somewhere we really shouldn't have been. "Nobody move. Nobody say a word." The Teller was in a large glass tank in front of us. "It's cocooned. Forced hibernation. It's power is probably dormant." Only then it found Gee as there were footsteps outside. "Georgia. It's locked onto you. It may still be asleep. Don't wake it."

"OK." She nodded, closing her bright cornflower eyes. "How do I not do that?"

"Keep your mind blank. Block everything. Once it locks onto your thoughts, it won't let go." She breathed out, tapping a rhythm on her leg, making those 4 beats all her mind had. Only the Teller growled gently. "It's waking up. Keep blocking your thoughts, Gee. Don't think."

It roared then, as Psi found us a way out, releasing Gee at the same time. But Saibra got stuck. "Oh."

"Saibra!"

"She's still in there." Clara realised. "How do we get her out?"

Oh... "It's scanning her brain."

"Then what?"

Nothing at all good. "Soup."

Georgia looked horrified. "Then help her. Please."

The mutant herself was in pain. "What should I do? How can I get away?"

"It's rooting through your brain." I told her, wishing there was some other way. "It's talking all the secrets stashed away inside. Any moment now, it will finish its sweep and start feasting on what's left."

"And then I became one of those things we saw sitting in a cage?" I agreed softly. "Can you get me out?"

I wanted to, oh, God, I did. I liked you, but i had no idea where to eve start. "I'm sorry, I don't know how, once it's locked into your thoughts."

"Exit strategy. That means what I think it means, right?"

Holding one out to her, I nodded. "Atomic shredder."

Her eyes fixed on mine. "painless?"

"And instant."

"When you meet the Architect, promise me something." Saibra, the Mutant Human who just didn't want to be alone any more, insisted. "Kill him."

Oh, I didn't do that. It wasn't my way. "I hate him, but I can't make that promise."

She smirked a little then. "A good man. I left it too late to meet one of those, who looks after his family."

Then Saibra used the shredder, everything about her being ripped apart by a bright blue light. The Teller just roared in frustration.

Before the others could say anything, I quickly moved off with them, going through yet more grills to find the big round vault door at the end of the corridor. "Right, vault. That's clear. What's not clear is what we do now."

"Hey, you OK?"

"No, I'm an amnesiac robbing and bank and Georgia is eve worse." I informed her, not stopping, just working. Easier that way. "Why would I be OK?"

Clara wasn't going to drop it, holding the Pixie's hand tight. "Because Saibra."

"What?" I asked, pretending that it didn't bother me. "Saibra is dead, we are alive. Prioritise if you want to stay that way."

Which of course set Psi off. "Oh, is _that_ why you call yourself the Doctor? The Professional detachments."

It was better than being paralysed with grief at a time when we needed to think of our own well being. "Listen. When we're done here, by all means, you go and find yourself a shoulder to cry on. You'll probably need that. Till then, what you need is me." And then I walked back towards the door, finding another case in a computer alcove. "Another gift from the Architect. Shall we unwrap it?"

Psi jacked himself into it, painfully downloading the contents before going into the alcove. "Right, the system looks like it's time-delayed. There are 24 lock codes I need to break."

Queue growling.

"Doctor?" Gee asked softly, hugging her arms around herself. "It's coming. We're trapped here."

"Psi, how long?"

"As long as it takes."

Something told me that would be just a tad too long. "It's locked on to one of our thought trails. We have to split up. Minimise the brain signals."

"What happened to your professional detachment Doctor?" Psi asked, before holding out his hand. So I gave him one of the shredders, to Clara's horror. "In case it finds me. It's my choice."

"You don't use that, okay?" She insisted, grabbing Gee's hand again as she moved closer to her. "Promise me."

He just looked at them. "Time to run."

They followed me before we separated down two different corridors, the girls by themselves. But it was still linked to Georgia and I heard her scream in pain. "Georgia!"

"Come on!" Psi yelled. "Come and find me!" What the hell was he doing? "Every thief and villain in one big cocktail. I am so guilty! Every famous burglar in history is hiding in this bank right now, in one body. Come and feast! Clara, Georgia? For what it's worth, and it might not be worth much, when you whole life flashes in front of you, you see people you love and people missing you. Well, I see no one. I hope that won't be the same for you, Gee."

And he was gone too, releasing Georgia who then joined me with Clara to see the computer fail to open the vault. "It's not opening." She breathed, tears streaked down her face, pink tinged. She came far too close to being soup. "Psi. He died for nothing."

I went into the alcove and scanned it, not liking what I found. "Multiple locks. Last one still in place. Atomic seal. Unbreakable even for me. The architect would know that. He wouldn't bring us all this way for nothing."

"And get two people killed."

"Exactly." I agreed. "There must be some logic."

Clara stared at me in horror, protectively holding Gee as she kept trembling. "Some logic. It almost killed Georgia!"

Please, tell me I did not bring them both here to die... "Come on, Architect. What else have you got?"

Then thunder rumbled outside, Gee wiping her cheeks as she walked to the door, her eyes darkening again, ever so slightly. "A storm. The storm's tripping the system. That's what he's got, a storm."

"How would he know when a storm would hit?"

I laughed then, pieces falling into place so it made more sense. "Of course. Stupid, stupid Doctor. Of course. Of course."

"Of course, what?"

"Whoever planned all this, they're in the future. This isn't just a bank heist, it's a time travel heist. We've been sent back in time to the exact moment of the storm, to be in exactly the right place when it hits, because that's the only time the bank is vulnerable."

"Vault unlocked."

And the door swung open. "The bank is now open. Come on."

We stepped inside the golden vault lined with safety deposit boxes, Georgia looking shaky still, far too young minded for everything that had just happened to her. But it hadn't broken through any of her other memories, which was alarming. "It explains why we're not here in the TARDIS." They both frowned at me. "The solar disruption would have made navigation impossible. The one time the bank is vulnerable is the one time we can't just land."

"Doctor?" Clara asked, still looking at a piece of card. "The code. The code that was in the last case. Look. Tech."

"Technology. 251. Find it."

Hunting, Georgia started to jump to find the right number. She was rather small, after all. "It's a neophyte circuit. It can reboot any system, replace any last data. It was Psi's reward."

"So what did Saibra come for?" Her vault held just a bottle. "Gene suppressant."

"She wanted to be normal."

Oh yes. There were reasons we were all here. "Everyone has a weakness. So the big question is this. What did we come for?"

Clara showed me the card. "PV."

Now Gee frowned, her eyes that sort of ocean colour again. "Private Vault. Karabraxos' own fortune?"

Only as I walked around the rack of boxes, I walked right into the Teller.

We were dragged back up into an office, two armoured guards behind s as the woman from before beamed at us. "Intruders are most welcome. They remind us that the bank is impregnable. It's good for morale to have a few of you scattered about the place, preferably on view." There were screens of the brain dead on show. "Are you ready for _your_ close up? If you're thinking of ways to escape, the Teller will know before you've even made a move. You'll never be bothered by all that thinking again."

Georgia stared at her, eyes scarily calm all of a sudden. Eyes that had been in worse situations and could see worse coming. "Useful species."

"Last of it's kind." Delphox agreed with a a smile. "And we've signed an exclusive dead."

"Must be very noisy inside its head. Painful to listen to so much chatter, so many secrets." I told her stiffly. "Must drive it wild. How can you force it to obey?"

The smile turned darker, more malicious, the cat who got the cream. "Oh, everything has a price tag, I think you'll find." Then looked up as the storm got louder. "The storms getting worse. The customers are leave. Director Karabraxos will be concerned. Our jobs will be on the line."

Our Amnesiac Pixie tilted her head slightly to the side. It was like she was someone else at times like this, her personality utterly changed. "You're scared."

"Oh, I'm terrified." She agreed. "I have the disadvantage of knowing Karabraxos personally."

"If you don't like your boss, why stay?"

Delphox went sarcastic and cryptic. "My face fits. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must take the Teller to it's hibernation. You two, dispose of our guests."

She left with the creature, leaving us alone with the two guards who pushed us up against the wall. "Don't do this." I begged them, trying to keep Gee behind me. "I'm having a very bad day and I do not want to be pushed around."

"You're wrong."

I frowned at Beardy. "Wrong?"

"It's not that bad a day." He replied. "And you're being very slow."

"Why are you undoing my handcuffs?" Then he turned into a face I'd never thought I'd see again. "Saibra?"

"It looked like death." The helmeted one told us, before taking it off to reveal Psi underneath. "It was actually a teleporter."

Clara hugged him tight. "Oh, my God."

The biotic grinned at her. "Good, eh? You think we're dead, so the Teller thinks we're dead, and we play the creature at his own mind games."

Gee shook her head, completely lost to the point her accent got ridiculously thick. I had that problem, it was an anger thing for me. "No, no. Wait, wait. What? Sorry, sorry, what? You're alive?" They agreed, but she was still very very lost. "No, no, no, no, no, no. Not dead. Alive."

"There's an escape ship in orbit." Psi agreed. "Takes you right there. Oh, and there's this big blue box. Is that yours?"

Ah, the TARDIS, perfect. Was wondering when she would turn up. "Well, this is good, I suppose. You'll be able to resume the mission. Gene suppressant. Antidote for your condition." Saibra took the little bottle from me. "memory giver. All your yesterdays." So Psi took that from me next. "There you go. Job done. Paid in full. Clever old Architect."

"Very clever."

"I still hate him."

Saibra nodded. "Me too."

"How were you paid?"

Not a clue, hadn't gotten that far ahead just yet. "I don't know. There's something in the private vault." So we all started to head down into the basement, surrounded by pipes. "What's that?"

"Supply line." Psi frowned, looking at it carefully. "It's the only oxygen down to the private vault. There's another for water. For basic life support."

Clara blinked at him. "What, for a private vault."

Georgia shivered a little, making me put my jacket over her again. "Someone likes to hang out with their wealth."

And inside the vault, once we climbed through yet another grill, there was Mozart softly playing, the room itself filled with some of the most valued treasures in the universe. "Director Karabraxos? Excuse us, but we've come to rob you. So if you want to put you hands above your head-"

The chair turned around, showing a woman identical to Delphox in every way. If the face fits... "Or? You didn't bring any weapons. That's a bit of an oversight." She turned on a screen. "Security, Karabraxos here." This was the runner of the bank?

"Director Karabraxos, is there a problem?" Delphox asked, sounding very worried that her boss, and double, was calling her.

"Intruders in the vault. Send me the Teller. I want to find out how they got in and then I want to wipe their memories."

Amnesiac Pixie tilted her head to the side again. "She's a clone."

The Director nodded. "It's the only way to control my own security. I have a clone in every facility. Get on it right away." Delphox agreed. "And then hand in your credentials. You're fired, with immediate effect."

"But please, I've been in your service-"

"Ever since the last one let me down and I was forced to kill it." Karabraxos sighed. "I can't quite believe you're putting me through this again." Then turned off the transmission. "My clone. And yet she doesn't even protest. Pale imitation really. Ha! I should sue!"

Clara didn't understand. "You're killing her? You just said-"

Karabraxos raised her eyebrows. "Fire? I put all of the used clones into the incinerator. Can't have too many of moi scattered around."

We'd lost the biotic. "Sorry, you don't get on with your own clones?"

"She hates her own clones." I corrected. "She burns her own clones. Frankly, you're a career break for the right therapist." Oh, oh. "Shut up. Just shut up. Everybody just, just, shut up."

"And what is this display, as amusing as you are?"

Did she not hear what I said? "Shut up. Just shut up, shut up, shut up, shuttity up up up. What did you say? What did you say?" I demanded of Saibra. "What did you say about your own eyes? De-shut up. Say it again."

She frowned, but did so. "How can you trust someone if they look at you out of your own eyes?"

Exactly. Question answered. "I know one thing about the Architect. What is it that I know about the Architect? I know one thing. Something that I've known from the very start."

"What?"

"I hate him. He's overbearing, he's manipulative, he likes to think that he's very clever. I hate him! Georgia, Clara, don't you see?" And I struck a handy gong in a corner. "I hate the Architect."

Karabraxos stared at me like I was a crap comedian. What in the name of sanity is going on in this room now?"

Gee rolled her eyes. "We're getting sanity judgement from the self burner." Then blinked. "To be honest, I think I'm pretty mad even with no memories. It's quite weird, really." Well, Pixie's were notoriously angry, even amnesiac ones.

I now moved over to the desk, trying to find something. "Do you mind if I borrow a bit of paper? I'm going to give you my telephone number."

"Why?"

Folding the paper, I wrote 'I am a Time Traveller' on the outside and gave it to her. "Well, I thought you might like to call me some day. Sorry, I thought we were getting along famously. Am I, like, misreading the signals or something?" The solar storm rattled the whole building. "Oh, that was a big one, wasn't it? I think your bank is about to close for good, Karabraxos. If I was you, I'd get going. Don't mind us, we'll just stay here and burn."

A new alarm sounded as the flares swept across the planet and the Director started to pack, making Georgia glare. "Hard to know what to pack. The greatest treasures of the universe in just one suitcase." Then looked at me as the building shook again. "Doctor, what's the plan? Is there a plan?"

"We can use the shredders and get back to the ship."

"They're not shredders, they're teleports, and that's not the most interesting thing about them. There were 7 of them." Karabraxos was now getting in her private life. "Hey, give me a call some time."

"You'll be dead."

When had that ever stopped me? I turned up for my own funeral once, that was an interesting experience. "Yeah, you'll be old and full of regret for the things that you can't change." Then made a phone me gesture as the doors closed.

"Doctor, what the hell is going on?"

Clara was staring right at me. "Are you remembering?"

When did I ever remember things? I couldn't remember why I knew this face. "No, not a thing. But I'm understanding. I need my memory back. And I think, unlike with Gee, I know how to do that."

"Which would be?"

What else? "Soup." Then the lift came back down to show the Teller. "Hello, big man. Peckish?" He grabbed my mind with his, making me drop to the ground with pain before Gee tried to come to my aid. "No, no, let it take me. Let it read me. It's the only way."

"It will kill you."

"What have I told you about pessimism?" I asked her, breathing through the pain as he dug through my memories. "That's it, that's it. There are so many memories in here. Feast on them. Tuck in. Big scared, bow tie, bit embarrassing. What do you think for the new look? I was hoping for minimalism but I think I came up with magician. In the last few days there's been a block. Can you see the block? Tell me why I'm here. Show me why I'm here. Show me!"

Then I was shown a conversation I had with, like I had thought, a very, very old Karabraxos, dying with regrets. After that, how the plan worked. Hiring Psi and Saibra, the DNA for Porrima, even how I changed my voice. Before I was released by the Teller.

"Did you see why we came? Why we're here? We had to delete our own memories, otherwise you'd have known and then she'd have known because you were mentally linked." I told him as Georgia helped me to my feet. "But she's gone now. They're all gone. They have no power over you now. You can do exactly what you want to do now. Exactly what you've always wanted to do."

On the wall, a small combination lock began to turn, confusing Psi. "It knows the conversation."

"Of course it does." Georgia whispered, white hair falling into her face. It was darker at the roots now, more a honey blonde than white. "He was linked to Karabraxos."

"What exactly are we doing here?" Clara asked, looking worriedly at the Teller. "That thing killed people."

"So might you do, to protect everything you loved." Then the safe door opened to reveal a second creature in a straightjacket that wailed softly. "There she is. Not the last of it's species. The last two." Psi started to unchain her quickly. "It's OK, it's OK. It's alright."

Saibra realised then too. "Exit strategy. We've got 7 shredders."

"This wasn't a bank heist." Gee laughed, still swamped in my giant jacket. "It was a rescue mission for a whole species. Flesh and blood, the last currency."

So we dropped them off on an empty planet, alone in silence and solitude for as long as they needed. Then picked up Chinese food for a job well done. "Gioffre Borgia, mucho scary hombre, says to me, what you think of our Leaning Tower of Pisa? I say-" and leant to the side, "it looks okay to me."

Everyone laughed, but eventually we had to start parting ways, the others having lives to get back to. "If you ever need help with another bank heist."

I shook Psi's hand before the girls hugged him. "Yeah, it's really not his area."

Then Saibra forced me to hug her before beaming. "See? I don't have your face now."

"Yeah." I agreed, before frowning. "I kinda miss that."

"Oh, shut up." She laughed, hugging Gee and Clara after that, leaving me to rub my arm where she had squeezed it before even Clara had to go.

Georgia didn't, she didn't actually have an identity or a job, but Clara was going on some big important date. "7:12, local time, as promised. Go and enjoy yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"It's a date." Then her eyes widened. "You know, I've just realised. I'm going out for another meal now."

"Don't worry." I told her with a smirk. "Calories consumed on the TARDIS have no lasting effect."

Clara stared at me. "What? Are you kidding?"

What did you think? "Of course. I'm kissing. It's a time machine, not a miracle worker. Bye, bye. I'll keep Georgia company, keep her out of trouble."

She laughed and headed for the door. "See you. Don't rob any backs."

"Don't rob any banks, what?"

"Without me?"

Why would I? There wouldn't be a responsible adult present, would there? "Course not, Boss." Then she left and I started up the time rotor again as Gee laughed, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Robbing a bank. Robbing a whole bank. Beat that for a date."


	6. Chapter Six

**Georgia:**

For some reason, the Doctor decided that I shouldn't go back to Clara's that night, so he set me up in a spare room in the TARDIS, full of books, a heart rate monitor and various art supplies. I asked whose room it had been, which of course he didn't answer, before hitting a button on the wall that cleared away almost everything but the art supplies.

Something told me that once upon a time, the Doctor was really a Doctor to someone. I hoped she turned out OK.

"You've got a bathroom through there, with, well, whatever the TARDIS thinks you need, and then there's the kitchen two doors down." He told me as I picked up a paintbrush and flicked the bristles softly so that dry paint flaked off like dust. "Don't do that, you'll ruin the point."

"Sorry. I should be fine, yeah. Just for one night, right?" I smiled, putting it down carefully on the easel before sitting down on the white bedspread. "With that boy, Rupert, you put him to sleep just by touching him. How did you do that?"

He shrugged, doing something with his screwdriver thing to turn the main light off and instead, soft mood lighting shone from under the units. "I told you when we were there, Gee, Dad skills. Try and get some sleep, OK? I know it's hard, but you could do with getting back into the habit of it. It's also how you're likely to get the most memories back."

"What if I'm not meant to get my memories back? Or if whoever this person who was following me has them?" I asked, tucking my slowly growing hair behind my ears. "If I never get to find my family again?"

With a sigh, the Doctor sat down next to me in the bed, both of us staring up at the amber sky painted on the ceiling with twin suns and a moon thrown in there. "Georgia, everything in this universe happens for a reason. You getting bitten by that adder, surviving for long enough for me to find you? I found you because I'm the one who is going to look after you, I'm going to find your family and I'm going to give you the reunion they must have been waiting years for, understood?"

I nodded and hugged a cushion to myself, not feeling tired in the slightest. Reading on some human website called Web MD, I had something called Chronic Insomnia, or some form of brain tumour, but that seemed unlikely. A human could only survive 10-12 days without sleeping before their bodies start to shut down. I hadn't slept since the Doctor had woken me up nearly 2 and a half months ago. I should be dead in human term.

He realised something was up and lifted my head to look at me properly. "Gee, I promise that I'll find your father, mother, and anyone out there that loves and cares about you. From what I've seen, no one deserves it more than you do, you're a sweet and innocent girl, Georgia."

"Could you make me sleep?" I asked him, picking at my nails as usual, still scabbed and slightly painful after I bit through the soft fleshy part in the bank. I thought that that Saibra was dead, because I managed to keep my mind blank while she didn't. Then there was that moment when I didn't feel like me, like I was twisted and dark and I just wanted to hurt Delphox. "If I sleep there's a better chance of recovering memories, then I don't want to take any chances of just lying awake all night. If there even is night on the TARDIS."

"Nights last as long as the TARDIS registers that you need it to be night for. Are you sure, Georgia? I could accidentally be too hard and you'll wake with a mahoosive headache." He told me, his aged, worn hands gently touching my temples, cool against my warm skin. "Gee?"

Nodding, I closed my eyes, thinking myself ready for what I could see in my memories. "Go for it. Here's hoping that I see something important."

Then my brain swapped from that to drifting in darkness, just hearing my heartbeat so fast in my ears that it drowned out all other sounds besides a worried voice calling for me. A dark and insane voice, but it was still worried.

"Gee, you aren't leaving again! Where are you?!" The voice called as I fell back into running, barefoot on cold, clinical floor, trying to do anything to get away from the person after me. "Little universe, where are you? Gee! Please! It's not what you think!"

"Leave me alone! When Father comes back, when he finds me, he's going to save me!"

That made him laugh, just as dark and malicious as his voice, but it was more worried. My heart was aching as though it wasn't enough to power my body, but I ignored it, somehow used to it being so painful, before my hands started to do something I was unable to see as I only heard the chinking of glass. "Oh, your father has no idea who he is, let alone that either of us are alive still, Little Universe. Perhaps if you come here, we can go and find him together?"

"Two parts hydrogen, 1 part Fiorelli phosphate, then the poison..." I was muttering to myself, trying to remember exactly how to do something as footsteps grew closer. "I know you, now! I know that you ran and you almost caused the destruction of so many worlds. I won't let you use me as leverage over my father!"

"Oh, Gee, you really think that you can leave me again? I've known you longer than he has. Longer than anyone, and you know that now."

My hands kept moving, not paying her much attention as my breathing got ragged, my body weak and trembling. "I don't believe you! You're a trickster, you lie!"

Then there was a pause, the footsteps stopping as the person must have reached the same room that I was making something in. And obviously he didn't like it, whatever I was using poison to make. "No! No, don't you dare! No!"

My voice, or some variation of it, came through, whatever I had been mixing now complete. I was scared, I knew what I was about to do, and it terrified me. But I also knew that it was the only way out from her grasp. "Try and stop me. I may be only 16, and I may have never been allowed out of my tower or my sanctuary, but I am still twice as smart as my parents and I will never let you control me, you bitch. Say something nice?"

"Please, I love you!"

"I don't think you're capable of it."

And I drank whatever I had made, gagging at the taste before screaming as it burned my insides, my oesophagus feeling on fire. "Gee! NO, no, no, please, Little Universe!" The man begged, sounding oh so scared of whatever I had made and consumed. He caught me as I almost fell, his arms holding me like I was the most important thing ever to him. "What poison was it? Gee? What did you make, tell me!"

"See you in hell. It's where we both deserve to be." I muttered, then what little I could sense and feel was gone, leaving me in a Faraday cage of emptiness.

That was before I shot up in my bed, heaving a panic attack so bad that it took me far too long to stop my heart from beating as fast as it was. I did this to myself, I was 16, I had only been 16 years old... whatever I had made and taken, the poison I had mixed it into, most likely Fluxxian Adder, had caused me to fall unconscious and wiped my memories.

The man I thought I'd escaped, the one that had been chasing me, I'd known him. He'd mentioned a father, one who thought us both to be dead. He was scared, he was so, so scared when I'd done it, when I drank the poison, and it was like he didn't want to hurt me, just... Have me.

My mind was so full of questions, moving around my head so fast I couldn't think straight so I got out of the bed, the Doctor having left earlier, probably as soon as I was asleep. Why would he stay and watch over a girl that technically wasn't his problem? There was a blank canvas on an easel, so I picked up a brush and started to paint.

First, I painted myself, with white and blonde hair, skin the colour of milk and eyes such a bright blue that Clara had said it was as though the sky was looking at her. After that, I painted the words that I heard, a transcript of what transpired. When the Doctor came in, the TARDIS starting a day cycle, he could see exactly what I'd done and work it out.

"Georgia, you-" The Doctor cut out as he came into the room, a few hours later to see me sat on the floor against the bed, covered in paint as I just stared at my work. "What's wrong? Gee?"

"Two parts hydrogen, one part fiorelli phosphate and then some form of poison." I muttered, hugging my knees to my chest, trying to hide my face from his view. "To stop him from using me somehow, to get at someone. I think I was supposed to kill myself, but I must have made it wrong. It hurt, oh, Jesus, it hurt so much, I don't think that I've ever felt anything like that before..."

The Doctor got down onto the floor next to me, taking my hand before frowning and took out some wet wipes, cleaning the paint away. "But you're safe now, aren't you? Does it still hurt?"

I shook my head, looking at the part of the dream that had confused me the most. The fact that he had told me that he loved me, and I knew, somehow, he had been telling the truth. He believed that he loved me, though I thought he was incapable and it was just greed and ownership that brought him to say that. But it wasn't proper, passionate love. It was familial. "How bad could he have been to make me try and kill myself? I said I was 16, Doctor, a 16 year old shouldn't ever have to think like that."

He made a noise of agreement, moving on to my other hand to take off the purple paint this time. Most of the writing was in purple or blue, the two best colours. "No. A child should never have to think that it would be better if they weren't alive. It makes you at least 20 years old, you're still just a kid, Gee." Too young. Far too young. "You are just a kid. But there's a whole good side to this, Georgia."

"What do you mean, Doctor? I just remembered that I tried to kill myself!"

"You have a father out there, Gee. Somewhere, somewhen, he's going to get you back after thinking you dead, I'm going to find him for you." I had a dad... "God knows I would love to have my kids back after so many years."

"You keep saying stuff like that, but you never go into details about the War, or about your family." I commented, resting my head on his shoulder, liking that he was cooler than I was. I liked being cool over warm, especially... That burning feeling... "You must miss them."

"Missing them is an understatement, like how your father must miss you, Gee. I don't talk about it, so please don't ask me. We should get you some breakfast, come on." And got back to his feet, pulling me up with him in just one swift movement. "We can't try and get you to sleep again soon, see if this time you can place where you were or who this woman was."

Something told me that I wouldn't like remembering who he was, not in the long run. Was it really a good idea to remember whatever it was that he had taken me for?


	7. Chapter Seven

**The Doctor:**

Clara was going to me and use my skin for a dress, but it had to be done. It was for the greater good. "So, where we off to?" She asked, coming into the the TARDIS from the living room.

"Clara, you, you look lovely today." I told her, hoping that she wouldn't ask where her flatmate was, as I'd set her to work at the school, making the Chronodyne Generators. Give her some blueprints and she was away. "Have you had a wash?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. Made a change from them taking up half of her face, really. "Why are you being nice, and whis is there no Georgia making masses of breakfast in our kitchen?" Damn, she noticed.

But, she didn't need to know where Gee was, because she would be perfectly find in the caretakers office until after it was over. "Because it works and Gee is safe and sound at a painting workshop in 1843. Listen. I'm sorry, but there's going to be no trip today. I'm sorry. Er, I've got to do a thing. It might take a while."

"What thing?"

I kept the scanner with the flashing red light out of her view. "Just a thing."

"You're being mysterious, and do you know what that means?"

"I'm a man of mystery."

Clara didn't look impressed though. "It means that you are a very clever man making the mistake, common to very clever people, of assuming that everybody else is stupid. What are you doing and where is Georgia really?"

She grabbed the scanner, but I'd already switched it to a view of the galaxy. "Undercover. Deep undercover. We both are."

"Can you do deep cover? She is an Amnesiac Pixie, she can't even be herself properly."

That was really rude! "Of course I can do deep cover. She was really excited for this, and surely she'd good at it as she's good at most things so far."

With a giggle, she got worse. "Where, the Magic Circle? She's only 20, Doctor, you can't get her to do this."

I snapped my fingers to open the doors. "We'll see you when we see you."

Only she just snapped her fingers and they closed again. Whose side was the TARDIS even on? First only giving us that room, now this... "When's that?"

Open again. "When we see you."

"Hmm. Hmm. I'll be sure to have a wash."

"Excellent." I smiled. "I was meaning to bring it up."

At which point she left, closing the doors behind her, before opening them again to give me a meaningful look, then closed them again. She was a very strange young lady.

But I headed to the school and parked next to where Georgia was still making the Generators. When I'd left, she'd only made 2, there were 8 now. She was such a sweet girl, only with the mental age of 16, I was so scared that I would ruin her. Whoever was after her, the person that drove her to kill herself, I had to make sure that she never got her, that I found her father.

"Stop watching me through the scanner, Doctor." She then told me, turning her face to look at me. Well, look at the angle the TARDIS was watching her from. "Mr Armitage wanted you to go to the staff, uh, the meet up thingie. I'm nearly done here."

"Yes, well, I needed to check the energy signature of the, uh, generators." I told her, coming out and changing my jacket. "Behave. Don't wander off, and finish your breakfast."

Gee just nodded and took a big bite of her large greasy breakfast baguette to prove that she was eating. Why did I ever pick up a teenager? But I walked to the staff room and knocked, then came in holding a broom. "I'm the new caretaker. John Smith."

Some random PE looking teacher came over and shook my hand. "Welcome to Coal Hill, Mr Smith."

"Thanks." I smiled at him as the rest of the teachers just started to file out of the room. "Yes, John Smith's the name. But you know, here's a thing. Most people just call me the Doctor." To which I winked at Clara. "So, if anybody needs me, just, you know, give me or my assistant Georgia a shout. We'll be in the storeroom just getting the lie of the land." Nearly everyone was gone now. "Yes, nobody's taking any notice at all. Absolutely good news because it means I must be coming across just as an absolutely boring human."

Clara was mouthing at me, but I just closed the door on her. "Deep cover. Deep cover."

Once I was alone, I took a moment to check my list of where to put the Generators, before Clara was back so I crumpled it into my pocket. "So, you recognised me, then?"

"You're wearing a different coat."

Exactly, it was my disguise! "But you saw straight through that."

"Deep cover in my school? Why?" Clara demanded as the door opened again to show Gee. "Where's Atif, what have you both done to him?"

"He's fine. I helped hypnotise him." Gee beamed, not understanding that Clara was for some reason angry. Hang about, didn't I tell her to stay put? "He thinks he's got the flu. Also a flying car and 3 wives."

Ah, that was my touch. "It's going to be a rude awakening."

Her face fell. "Is it aliens? Oh, my God, is that why you're both here? Are there aliens?"

Goodness, she sounded just like a conspiracy theorist. "It's assembly. You'd better get going. Go worship something."

"Are there aliens in this school?"

Of course there were! "Listen, it's lovely talking to you, but we're really got to get on. I'm a caretaker now. Look, I've got a brush and an assistant."

"Doctor, Georgia, is there an alien in this school?

"Yes, me and Georgia." I replied, my hand going on the Pixie's shoulder. "Now go. The walls need sponging and there's a sinister puddle.

Clara wasn't budging any time soon. "You can't do this. Either of you. You cannot pass yourself off as real people among actual people."

Excuse you, I was capable of anything and so was Gee. "I lived among otters for a month." I say lived... "Well, I sulked. River and I, we had this big fight."

Apparently I was just fuelling her fire as Gee just looked confused. Emotions, not her thing. "Human beings are not otters!"

I knew that. "Exactly. It'll be even easier."

"Okay, one question. And you will answer this question." Clara insisted. "Are the kids safe?"

She wanted the truth? Fine, she could get part of the truth as long as it meant we could bloody well get on with it. "No. Nobody is safe. But soon the answer will be yes, everybody is safe, if you let us get on. Now, pretend you don't know us. Stay out of our way. The less you know, the better. I'll explain it all later. Go and sing with the otters."

"I hate you."

So did everyone else. But it was impossible to hate Gee, she was just too sweet. "That's fine. That's a perfectly normal reaction."

She headed off and we got to work. "Who's River? Or is she another off limits topic?"

I frowned at Georgia as she helped me make up the water for cleaning windows. "Another what?"

"You know, off limits topics. Like your family, the War on your planet, your name." She replied, completely oblivious to a group of year 11 boys, just staring at her rear. "So is this River one of those or do you not mind talking about her?"

"She's my wife." I replied, trying to understand why she was being stared at wearing a pair of black trousers and a white shirt. "Excuse me, what are you lot staring at? She's a girl, there are lot of those here at the school. What's so special about Miss Georgia?"

"She's hot."

Gee blinked. "What does my core body temperature have to do with anything?"

They all laughed at her, before bumbling off as a sort of sinister pack. "Gee, stay with me while we're here, please. Boys to you won't make sense, not that they make much sense to anyone. But you'll be worse, the only people you've really met haven't been human males."

"I will." She smiled brightly. "So, your wife? Why haven't I met her yet?"

"I haven't seen her myself in about 500 years, Gee. River and I have never met in order, we meet when our paths are meant to cross." I told her softly as I took the bucket from her small white hands. "Now. Stay. Hold the ladder steady and do not wander off. Understood? Stay, Georgia."

The Amnesiac Pixie nodded in agreement. "I'll stay still. Pinky promise."

See, I wanted to believe that, I just also knew that Gee got distracted incredibly easily. Only thing that kept her occupied was complex mathematics or sitting down with charcoal and a sketch pad. But I climbed the ladder anyway, not knowing that it was Clara's class. Which literally only disturbed her as she got up from her desk and walked towards me. "You alright, Miss Oswald?"

"Yes, Kelvin, I'm fine. You carry on." And he did so as she stood up on a chair to talk to me. "Can I help you, Mr Smith?"

Well, the biggest help would be you teaching them the correct dates for books, Clara. "Wrong."

"I'm sorry?"

"On the board." I pointed. "Wrong. Wrong."

She shook her head emphatically. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no. You don't do this. You and Gee are the caretakers, this is not what you do."

Hey, I was trying to help your kids pass an exam. "Just taking care."

"Not your area!"

Excuse you. "Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice in 1796."

Clara cleared her throat before addressing her class, which was barely awake. "This is Mr Smith, the temporary caretaker alongside the girl I have all heard you talking about, Miss Georgia." Was everyone really that fascinated by her? "He's just a bit confused."

I was definitely going to embarrass you no, that was just plain rude. "Not in 1797 because she didn't have the time. She was so busy doing all-"

Clara didn't let me finish. "Oh, what? I suppose she was your bezzie mate, was she? And you went on holidays together and then you got kidnapped by Boggons from space and then you all formed a band and met Buddy Holly."

What the hell was she talking about? "No, I read the book. There's a bio at the back."

All the kids were giggling at her now. "Get down."

"Boggons?" I questioned.

"Go."

At which point I felt the ladder below me jolt a little, Gee running off somewhere. Oh, brilliant. "Georgia! Georgia, get back here!"

She was gone though, so I had to climb down with an unstable ladder, and get taken off to fix a junction cabinet. With no sign of my electrical genius, also unstable, Pixie. Instead, I got stuck listening to two completely stupid teachers. "Of course, Danny Pink here is yours and Miss Georgia's man here, Mr Smith. 5 years military experience, Sergeant, here and Afghan, so electrics, boilers, if either of you need a hand, give him a shout."

"I've, I've helped Atif with a couple of things."

So? I wasn't Atif, and Gee was almost as smart as me. "I'm sure I won't need you, Sergeant. Fully qualified." Something then sparked so I quickly covered it over. "You best get back to your PE class."

"Oh, I teach maths."

"Do you?" I questioned, thoroughly confused. "What, in emergencies?"

Danny shook his head. "No. I'm a maths teacher."

The Dandy with a bowtie agreed before going off to look at someone who'd broken something. "How does that work? What if the kids have questions?"

He frowned at me. "About what?"

What else, Dummy? "Maths."

"I answer them." The man shot back. "I'm a maths teacher."

How did any of this correspond? "But he said you were a soldier."

"Yeah, I was a soldier, now I'm a maths teacher,"

So who taught the other one? "But what about all the PE?"

"I don't teach PE. I'm not a PE teacher."

"Sorry, that seems very unlikely."

Now Clara appeared, looking nervous about me talking to him. Ach, it was fine, I wouldn't break him. "Er, excuse me, Mr Pink, I think that class 9M4 is waiting."

Good, nice work, get rid of the annoying soldier. "Yes, you better run along, Sergeant. That ball isn't going to kick itself, is it?"

Danny just stared at me. "I, I'm not a PE teacher, I'm a maths teacher."

"Nope, sorry. no, I can't retain that. I've tried." I shrugged, wondering where the hell Gee had gone. It wasn't like her to not be with Clara or I, she had never been left on her own outside the flat or the TARDIS. "It's just not going in."

The bloke headed off, making Clara look hopefully at me. "So, Pink? The name remind you of anything?"

Funnily enough. "Yeah, the colour."

"Colonel Orson Pink?" Who? "The guy we met at the end of the universe. Gee recognised him."

"Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah." I agreed, not really remembering, just trying to placate her. "Same name, doesn't look anything like him though."

"Looks very like him."

I really didn't pay enough attention. "Does he? I don't know. Who remembers a PE teacher?" And shoved on of the Generators in there before closing the junction box. "Have you see Georgia?"

She wasn't listening. "What are you doing? What, what's in there?"

None of your business. "So, is he here then?"

"Is who here?"

"The one that you keep going on serious dates with. I have Gee stay over with me more often than not now, she may as well move in."

Clara narrowed those giant eyes at me. "If he is, are you going to start talking like a normal human being?"

Well, as best as I could, given that neither me or Gee were human. Which was why I was worried about her being off somewhere alone. "I promise I won't. I'm being nice."

"Doctor."

Then Dandy came back with his floppy fringe and his bowtie. Of course. "Oh, I see."

"You see what?"

"Nothing." I said quickly, not wanting to embarrass her about this. It wasn't worth her getting that angry. "Nothing at all."

But I still followed them as they started to walk off, talking about the Tempest. Only they did turn to look at me after a moment. "Yes, no, of course. Of course, yes. Don't mind this old man. You two kids just pop off together, I need to find my assistant."

"Why are you talking like an idiot?"

"I'm a caretaker. Don't mind me." And just watched them as they walked off together, still talking Tempest. "Oh, Clara."

Then went about my business, putting the Generators around the building, looking for Gee as well before finding some grafitti. Ozzie loves the squaddie. "What does that mean? Kids, What is the matter with kids today?" And wiped it off, whistling Pink Floyd, Brick In The Wall to Clara as she told off so boys. Rebel at Hearts, that was me.

Lastly, one went in the hanging basket by the storeroom for luck and I got ready for showtime. Only to find Gee cuddled on the floor in a tiny ball, sketching furiously with her hands red and raw, but also covered in charcoal. "OK, where the hell have you been, young lady?"

"Ran. I, I don't... Memory, but..." She gabbled, her brain obviously moving too fast for her mouth to keep up so it became broken sentences. "It hurt... Hurts..."

"Hey, hey, it's OK." I told her, stepping carefully around the large bundles of paper everywhere, all abstract so I had no idea what she'd drawn. "Calm down, Gee, focus on one thing and time it to a rhythm. Breathe, too, that would probably be useful."

The girl nodded and took a breath, her left hand counting her fingers in a 4 tap movement before she sort of sagged in relief of the turmoil in her head. "Thank you. Jesus, it hurt, both that and my chest... It was so tight."

"All the hallmarks of your basic panic attack. Just do that if you feel another one." I told her gently, feeling her heart still stuttering through her wrist. "You can relax. Nothing can hurt you in here, Georgia."

"I know, I know. I don't even know what happened. I just got stuck in my dream, my nightmare. I had to run." Gee replied, fear still in her bright cornflower eyes. "I don't even know what I'm drawing."

With a sigh, I bundled up all the drawings and placed them to one side. "I think it's one giant picture, maybe. A memory. I will help you with that later if you help me with this now. Deal?"

That earnt me a small, sweet smile from her, linking my pinky with hers before I pulled her to her feet. "Deal. Did you put all the generators out?"

With a nod, I flicked a few switches on the console. "OK, now we're in business. Let's see the lie of the land. Time to see what's going on." Georgia was now frowning at the sound of someone outside, probably confused by all the green light emanating from the console. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most dangerous of them all?"

And I turned off the light to listen to the person talking. "There's been a spillage in Geography, I need some paper towels."

Could she not have just used bog roll from the loos like everyone else? I, I had a sign and everything! "Can't you read?" I asked the girl, coming out of the TARDIS.

"Course I can read." She shot back as Gee came out as well. "Read what."

"The door." I pointed. "It says 'Keep Out'."

Georgia put her hand on my shoulder and shook her head. "No, it doesn't. It says Go Away Humans. It was confusing earlier, till I remembered."

What? No, it... "Oh, so it does." And tossed it lightly behind us. "Never lose your temper in the middle of a door sign."

The girl was trying to look into the TARDIS. "What was you doing in there? What's that box?"

Were humans always this nosy? "The caretakers box. Every caretaker has their own box."

"It says police."

"Exactly. There's a policeman in there, in case of emergencies and children." Georgia was now handing her what she came for. "Towels, there, g, g, go."

Unfortunately, she was more stubborn than Clara. "What was that green glow? There was a green glow coming from in there. What was it?"

Could she please just leave now? "Of course. What's a policemen without a death ray?" Then the school bell finally rang, signalling the end of this dragging day. "Oh, listen, there's the bell. Off you go. Haven't you got shoplifting to go to?"

"I'm going to tell the headmaster."

Be my guest. "Oh, yes, fine. Well, cut along. You're running out of time."

"For what?"

"Everything. Human beings have incredibly short life spans. Frankly, you should all be in a permanent state of panic. Tick tock, tick tock."

The girl just stared at us both. "You're weird."

Got that right. "Yes, I am. This is my friend Amnesiac Pixie. What about you?"

I got a bitter smile in reply. "I'm a disruptive influence."

"Good to meet you."

"And you." We shook hands.

Which was as far as I would go with this irritating human. "Now get lost."

She agreed as Clara came into the room, giving her a sly smile. "Hello, Miss. Love to the Squaddie."

"Sorry, what did you say?" She's already left the room. "What was she doing in here?"

What else? "Paper towels."

I liked Gee, she spoke for me. Saved me a lot of time. "Now, I imagine you have many questions. Fire away. We won't answer any of them. Georgia, don't answer any of them."

Only Clara surprised me. "What were they like? The others before Gee and I. Did they let you get away with this kind of thing? This school is in danger."

"Well, it's lucky I'm here, there."

"From you two." Excuse you? How were we causing danger? Gee had been in here practically the whole time! "You wouldn't be here if there wasn't an alien threat nearby. Your strategy for dealing with it involves endangers this school."

Had she been told our plan? No, that was the answer to that. No, she had not been told. "You don't know that."

This apparently gave her evidence for her case. I really did not understand her sometimes. "I don't know anything because neither of you have told me anything, which means I wouldn't approve, which means you're endangering the school." So I turned on the sonic to show the green globe. "What's that?"

"It's a scanner. He's says we're scanning."

"Why do I keep you around?" I asked her, comparing them both. The Bossy Control Freak and the Amnesiac Pixie. "She does things for me with less sass."

Clara just looked at me. "Because the alternative would be developing a conscience of your own. Gee can't do that for herself yet. Scanning for what?"

That was rude! "Any alien technology in this vicinity should show up. I used to have a teacher just like you once."

Which got me another look with raised eyebrows. "You still do. Pay attention." Then the scanner showed the Blitzer., making her stare with giant dinner dish eyes. "OK, what the hell is it?"

"A Skovox Blitzer. One of the deadliest killing machines ever created." I explained as Georgia made herself a cuppa. Where was mine? "Probably homed in here because of the Artron emissions. You've had enough of them in this area over the years. THere's enough explosive in it's armoury to take out the whole planet."

"Then leave it alone."

If only I could do that. "Sooner or later it will creep from it's hidey-hole and some military idiot will try to attack it." I nodded at Gee to turn off the image. "The world is full of PE teachers."

Then headed inside to grab what I planned to with my scarily fast running assistant Georgia. "So, your insanely dangerous plan is?" Gee held up the silver watch I made her. "A new watch for Gee. Tiny bit disappointed."

Georgia just grinned at her. "This is a very special watch."

And she put it on, pressed the button and turned invisible. "Georgia? Gee?" Then she laughed a little as she almost toppled over, hugging her arms around herself loosely. "Oh, you're amazing, Gee. Oh, my God, that's incredible."

"Correct." I agreed. "She is invisible and we are both incredible. It's simply a matter of reversing light waves. Gee, come on back, please." And did so while still hugging Clara. She didn't like people being angry with her. "So, she gives the Blitzer a tiny whiff of non-threatening alien tech, then leads it back here to me. But I don't want it to scan her, hence invisible."

"So, you're, you're making her lead the thing here? To a school? Clara gabbled, looking shell shocked. "My, my school."

I'm sorry, who's school? "My school? Oh, that is telling. This is the only suitably empty place in the area. I've set up a circle of time mines around the school. Chronodyne Generators. It's what Gee made this morning. They're a bit unstable." And threw one to her. "As Gee gets in the building, I switch them on, the Blitzer gets sucked into a big old time vortex, billions of years into the future. It's dead easy. Tiny bit boring. I'll need a book and we'll have some sandwiches."

"And me. You're not doing this just the two of you."

She handed Georgia the gizmo but I shook my head. "We don't need you this time. We'll see you tomorrow, I'll keep Gee with me tonight and then we'll all go somewhere nice. Ancient Egypt. Crocodilopolis. They worship a big crocodile there, so the name is a useful coincidence. Go and canoodle with your boyfriend." She stared at me as Gee just gulped hot tea like it was going out of fashion. "Come on, I wasn't born yesterday. Far from it."

Clara beamed at me. "You did recognise him."

How could I not? "Possibly reminded me of a certain dashing young time traveller."

"Oh, of course you recognised him, or maybe Georgia told you." Clara laughed a little. How could she? She hadn't met my old face, had she? "I. Sorry. Stupid. I, I underestimated you."

Fair enough, really. "It's easily done. There's a lot to estimate."

"And you, you like him?"

"Yes, I like him very, very much." I nodded with a smile. "Go home and canoodle. Doctors orders while I babysit Gee. Come on."

"Just this once, I'm doing what I'm told."

Seriously? Wow. Just. Wow. "Oh, sing hosanna."

Which made her laugh at me and give Gee another big hug. "Ah, so easy. Don't let him bully you into making him cups of tea as well."

And she headed out before Gee did the same, going towards the place the scanner found the Blitzer. "Doctor? Can you see?" She asked, wearing the video glasses so I saw what she did. "I'm nearly there."

"I can see you, Gee." I told her, sipping my own mug of tea after I made it. She listened to Clara and refused to make me one, the meanie. "Be careful. Please."

"Promise, Doctor. I'd make it a pinky one, but I'm not actually with you right now." This girl... "Ok, I'm in."

Georgia carefully walked through the house, now invisible to the naked eye. Which hopefully meant the Blitzer wouldn't see her. "Where are you my sleeping beauty?" I asked the Blitzer softly, wanting Gee in and out with no trouble. Then she found it. "Georgia, go!"

"Let's dance." She laughed, starting at a sprint back towards the school. "I love the running!"

I laughed with her as she kept running, hair flying behind her like a banner. The Blitzer followed her, using infrared to follow her footprints before she burst through into the school. "Careful! I mopped that floor earlier, and I need those glasses back!"

"Incoming!" She yelled, skidding at a turn, before sliding into the school hall beside me. "How was that?"

"Good work." I told her as she took off the watch. Only then I turned to see that all the generators were red instead of green. Decidedly not what was supposed to happen. "What? Red? No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

Then the Blitzer came in and I quickly moved in front of Gee to stop her being scanned. "Range one point four nine scan. Complete problem problem."

Please, not Georgia, I had to keep her safe... "Listen. We're unarmed. We're peaceful. Don't you understand? I, I know that you shouldn't be on this planet but I can help you with that. I-"

It's CPU had spoken though. "Problem. Solution destroy."

At which point PE decided to make an untimely entrance. "I want a word with you. Wait, Georgia?"

"Get back!"

"Problem solution destroy." The Blitzer told him, shooting freely as the pudding brain dodged, dropping to the floor. Dropping a generator into the circle so it glowed green. "No! Get away from-" What good was a bloody chair going to do, PE?!

But Gee grabbed the sonic from me, her eyes going that ocean sort of colour again and she turned on the vortex and the chair got sucked away. So was the Blitzer and therefore PE, but hey. "Temporal disrupt. Warning warning. Temporal failure."

Now Clara was here too, grabbing PE. "No! No, no, no, no, no! Doctor, Georgia, stop! Doctor!"

"Warning system failure. Abort. Abort."

And when the Blitzer had just been sucked through, Georgia turned off the vortex. She was good. PE, on the other hand? Sod him. "Oh, oh well done, PE. Brilliant work. What's this? A handmade Chronodyne Generator? I'll just deactivate that, shall I? I've got a swimming certificate so that qualifies me to meddle with higher technology. Never mind that some people are actually trying to save the planet. Oh, no. There's only room in my head for cross country and the offside rule."

"What's the offside rule?"

I shook my head, putting an arm on the Pixie's shoulder. "Not helping."

"Danny, what are you doing here?"

"I was checking up on him. He's been up to something, fiddling with the electric, but what the? That's your cousin from New Zealand. Did you see that thing? Tell me you saw that thing."

She nodded at him as I took the sonic and scanned Gee to make definitely sure that she was alright. "I saw the thing, yeah. Doctor, are we safe? Is the planet afe? It's gone?"

Not a clue, I didn't know what Georgia did. But the girl herself nodded. "For the moment. But the Generators I made this morning, they have to be perfectly aligned to make the vortexy thing I just did. He moved one."

Clara just looked at her. "But the Chronodyne worked. It's gone."

"Not far enough." I replied darkly, checking the sonic. "The vortex will open here again, but not in a billion years."

"Then when?"

Not far enough, really not far enough. "Er, 74 hours. 3 days? 3 days to think of something new because now it knows what to expect. Now it has scanned Georgia and I and it will kill us on sight thanks to PE here."

PE himself was very confused. Didn't surprise me. "Clara, why are you talking to him like that? Why is your very SEN and young cousin talking like a physics genius when I had to explain an alarm clock to her? Was that a space thing? Oh, oh my God, you're both from space. You're space women. You said she was from Hawkes Bay and you were from Blackpool."

I was already planning my next idea out as Clara attempted to defuse the situation. "It's a play! For the summer fete."

"It's a what?" Gee asked, very confused. "Doctor, what's a play?"

"Yes, it's a play. Shut up, Gee, it's a play. We are rehearsing a play." The Liar rambled. "A surprise play. And, er, you see, the vortex thing is, is a lighting effect. Very clever. And that things is, is one of the kids. In fancy dress. Really, really good fancy dress."

"How stupid do you think I am?"

Did he really want an answer to that? "I'm willing to put a number on it."

"I'm not a moron, Clara, Georgia." PE insisted, completely lying through his teeth. "And he's not the caretaker. He's Gee's dad. Your space uncle."

Really. I pitied the human ever destined to reproduce with this idiot. "Oh, genius. That is, that is really, really brilliant reasoning. How can you think that I'm Gee's dad when we both look exactly the same age?"

Georgia frowned at herself. "We don't look the same age."

"I was being kind." I told her, patting her arm gently. ""Right, I'm going to hypnotise him. Or, well, get Gee to do it. She's going to erase his memory."

"Doctor, stop!"

Why? I knew what I was doing, and Gee had a good aptitude for slight psychic skills. "Tiny little brian, only take a moment."

"He's my boyfriend,"

"Well, I'll try not to let her erase the whole thing. She'll leave the bits that." Wait, what?

Even Gee was frowning at me. "He's her boyfriend. I thought you'd figured this out."

You had to be kidding. "Him?" She agreed. "No, he's not."

"Yes, he is."

He nodded too. "Yes, I am."

"But he's a PE teacher. You wouldn't go out with a PE teacher." I insisted, Gee just looking lost. She didn't really understand emotions, bless her. "It's a mistake. You've made a boyfriend error."

"I'm not a PE teacher." He repeated, sounding like a broken record. "I'm a maths teacher."

That may be the case, but you still had a history. "You're a soldier. Why would you go out with a soldier? Why not get a dog or a big plant? You have Georgia!"

Clara was getting very defensive. "Because I love him and Gee isn't always going to be here, remember?"

"Why would you say that?" I asked her, getting confused as to why Gee might leave for good. Yeah, she'd get her father back, but she might still want to travel. "Is this part of the surprise play?"

In reply, I got a giant huff. "There is no surprise play."

"Oh, it's a roller coaster with you tonight, isn't it? What about the handsome one with the bowtie?"

"Who? Adrian? No, no, no,. He is just a friend and not my type." That was rude.

"Clara, are you going to explain any of this?" PE asked her. "Who is this guy?"

She hesitated. "The Doctor is." This ought to be good, he wanted to know why she never mentioned me and lied about Georgia. "Because he's an alien. So is Georgia, which isn't even her real name because the amnesia is real, she has no memories from before 6 months ago."

"Er, are you an alien?"

Clara shook her head quickly. "No, no, no, I'm still form Blackpool. Me and Gee and the Doctor, we travel through time and space, it's where we found her. There's someone out there trying to hurt her."

Yeah? Well, if she was going to tell him the whole story, may as well show the TARDIS, couldn't leave her out. she'd sulk. "Exhibit A." And pulled back the curtains to show her.

"It's called the TARDIS, but it's disguised as an old police phone box." And got on the stage next to it as I fed her the next line. "And it's bigger on the inside than the outside."

I opened the doors like her assistant. "Voila."

"And we travel the universe in it."

PE stuck his head in the door, did the thing, and came back out again. "And what about that thing? Did you bring that here?"

Gee beat me to it with that one. "No. We're going to protect you from that thing."

"You said it was coming back."

"Because you took the Generator, yeah, it is coming back." She agreed.

And of course he tried to follow his old protocol. "This is a school. We have to evacuate, call the Army."

I hated soldiers. "And that is the most dangerous thing right there." And nodded to Georgia to close the TARDIS doors. "Are you sure hypnotisings not on the menu."

Clara was glaring now. "Yes."

"But we need to get help." PE insisted. "This is an emergency."

This was getting stupid, I felt like I was talking to a brick wall. "Look, take him away. Shut him up, shut him down. Up or down, it doesn't matter to me. We've got a lot of work to do. Again."

"Will you be OK, Gee?"

She went to reply, but this time I beat her to it. "Why wouldn't she be OK? We were fine until you two blundered in."

"Am I just being ignored?"

So Clara started to help a bewildered Danny down from the stage. "Come on, Danny. It's alright, it's. Come on, it's all fine. You'll be OK. Let's er, get those legs moving. That's it, down those stairs. Yep, that's it. This can all be explained and everything will be fine."

Would it? "And when this is all over, you can finish the job."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, you've explained Georgia and I to him. You haven't explained him to me."

We parted ways and I got to work on the next plan for defeating the Blitzer as Georgia slept. Since that first night's sleep, she slept far more regularly, every 48 hours or so for varying lengths of time. So she slept practically the whole day, and was still out when Clara showed up.

"Afternoon. Thanks for keeping out of my way, best just to let her sleep when it happens." Then frowned as I saw a ripple of light following her. Clara, you took the watch... "You haven't brought Dave with you, I hope."

"His name's Danny." Just checking that she was defensive. Meant he was definitely here. "And no, I haven't. I've, er, I explained it all to him. He gets it. He took it really well." She always was a crap liar.

"Pass me that synesstic."

She did so as she kept talking. "So, when the Blitzer comes back, are you going to catch him with that?"

Funnily enough, I hadn't just been sat here twiddling my thumbs. "It'll be a long, fiddly job. It's going to take me at least 24 hours. Even longer if people keep talking to me, so do keep going."

Which of course she did. "If it comes back Thursday night, are you sure about that? Cos Georgia said the Chronodyne is unstable."

"If you want to bother someone, go and bother PE." I told her, keeping my voice far softer than she was keeping hers. "Let Gee sleep in peace please."

"He's a maths teacher."

Pity, really. "Shame. I like maths, so does Gee."

I was making her angry. "Not a soldier."

"Interesting." I now had her attention. "I'm bored. Let's go somewhere fun. What do you say? Do you want to see the Thames frozen over? Oh, those frost fairs."

Moving around the console. I tried to set us off moving but she reset controls to neutral. "But you can't. The Skovox thing."

Definitely afraid I'd find out she snuck in Danny. "It's a time machine. We can get back straight away, like we do on your dates. Just make sure you don't get yourself a tan or anything, or lose a limb."

"I don't think we should. Not this time. We could wake up Georgia."

"You've never said no before. No even in the middle of dinner. Remember when you had to eat two meals in a row?"

Clara was struggling. "I just think, with the school in danger-" Then Danny switched off Georgia's watch. "Danny, what are you-"

"He already knows I'm here." OK, so he had a shred of intelligence. "That's why he's talking like that He's being clever."

Hm. "Now that you mention it, being a Time Lord, I can feel a light shield aura when it's right next to me."

PE rolled his eyes. "Oh, ho, ho. Time Lord? Might have known."

This ought to be good. "Might have known what?"

"Well, the accents good, but you can always tell the aristocracy. It's in the attitude." Clara saw where this was going and tried to stop him. "Now, Time Lords, do you salute those?"

Don't you even dare. "Definitely not."

"Ah, sir!" And did it anyway.

"And you do not call me sir."

This made him worse. "As you wish, sir. Absolutely, sir."

He was going to wake her up! "And you can get out of my TARDIS!"

"Immediately sir."

Clara tried to cut the air as Gee stirred. "Doctor, this is stupid, this is unfair."

"One thing, Clara. I'm a soldier, guilty as charged. You see him? He's an officer with Gee as his own little private guard."

No. No way in hell. "I am not an officer, and she is not my guard! She's just a kid!"

He was still looking at Clara. "I'm the one who carries you out of the fire. He's the one who lights it as Georgia gets him out as risk of herself."

I would never risk her! "Out. Now."

"Right away sir. Straight now?"

"Yes."

"Am I dismissed?"

You were about to be dismissed into a supernova! "Yes, you are!"

And he looked back at my companion. "That's him. Look and him, right now. That's who he is. Now think what he's going to do to a mind like Georgia's."

Then left as I got down to my younger companions sleeping form as she started to fully wake up. "On balance, I think that went quite well."

She stormed off as I lead the half asleep out into the storeroom to get her some breakfast. Well, it was technically dinner by now, but hey. "What did I miss?" She asked, yawning. "Did I hear Danny?"

"Humans." I replied, handing her a mug of tea as the disruptive influence from the day before made an appearance. "I never learn, really."

"What's in the box?" The girl asked, staring behind us. "It's not really a policeman is it?"

Funnily enough, no. "You want to know what's in that box? I'll tell you what's in the box. It's a time machine. It also travels in space. And it usually contains a man who just wants to get on with his work of preventing the end of the world, but keeps being interrupted by boring little humans."

I hadn't phased her. "Cool. So that's really a spaceship."

She tried to go in, but I pulled her back by the collar as Gee laughed through her cookie crunch. "I'm serious. We're trying to save this planet."

"End of the world for me tonight, whatever you do." Don't be so dramatic. "Parents evening." OK, she could panic. GG.

"Is your name really Disruptive Influence?"

She shook her head at me. "Courtney Woods. Can I go into space?"

Probably, companions always were best in pairs. Amy and Rory, Mickey and Jack, Martha and Donna. "I'll let you know. I may have a vacancy. But not right now." Then hustled her out as Gee finished her breakfast. "Two days, Georgia. We can do it."

Only the moment we got back to work, the Pixie suitably fuelled by sugar and caffeine, the scanner started to bleep. "Um, I don't think that's supposed to happen." Gee muttered, grabbing what I'd made so far and ran out.

We got Clara, and PE, from parents evening, Gee working on the machine as I spoke. "Clara, the vortex is opening."

Danny now thought his name was Clara. "You said Thursday night." I also said unstable. "Right, hall, quick."

"PE, shut up." I told him sternly. "Clara, it'll scan the area. If it gets to parents evening, it'll kill them all."

"We've got to evacuate."

I told him to shut up again as Clara nodded. "Quickly. What do I do?"

Run, basically. "It'll be here any second. Get to the hall, Gee, go with her, I can finish it off." And handed the Pixie the sonic like the night before. "Give it some squirts of helicon energy, setting number 41. No more than three seconds each, random pulses. Distract it, then you olead it away from the hall, give me two minutes."

Georgia was already bounding on the balls of her feet. She loved the running. "Then what?

"Just run straight to the TARDIS."

PE was still kicking up a fuss. "But your gadget isn't ready yet. 24 hours you said."

Unfortunately, Time was no longer a luxury I had. "Yes, well, I've revised that down to 2 minutes. Probably. Georgia, Clara, go."

And they both started to run as I got a terrified look from PE. "You're using them like decoys?"

"Not, not like decoys. As decoys." I snapped, already trying to work out what the hell I was doing. "Don't they teach you anything at this stupid school?"

"Well, is there anything I can do? Gee's like a little kid, she could need help."

Georgia was far more capable than people expected. "Yes. Yes, and this is very important. Leave us alone!"

And got back to my storeroom to get to work, only just managing to get something working before the girls ran in shortly followed by the Blitzer that destroyed my door while they helped me on with the rucksack. "Am I green? Am I green!"

"You're green!"

So I used the microphone to start talking to it, praying that this would work. "Stop! Skovox Blitzer."

"Awaiting orders."

Thank God... "Superior Skovox Artificer. Analyse stop analyse stop."

It had done so, just looking at us. "Superior recognised. Pattern 110, orders orders."

"Why's it listening to you?"

"Listening to it's superior." Gee explained. "It's a rough copy. Thinks the Doctor is his general."

She was good. Knew that plan right away. "Initiate input. Commence shutdown protocol. No conflict. Conclusion?"

"Problem solution."

"Conclusion."

"Final input code missing." Damn.. "Emergency terminate. Initiate self destruct in 9, 8."

Damn, damn damn! "The input code. I forgot the ginal input code. Gee!"

She ducked and ran over to me, frantically stabbing at the keypad. "I need more time. This is hard. Distract it, Clara!"

"Me? What can I do?"

It almost reached zero before PE turned up. "Oi, Skovox. Over here." Danny turned off the watch that he was still wearing and somersaulted over it.

At which point Georgia managed to get the code through so grabbed the mic from me. "Artificer Artificer. Stop. Confirm stop override final input code."

"Code accepted." Oh, thank God. "Abort self destruct. Orders accepted. Stop stop stop."

And it powered off as Clara hugged Danny, Gee blowing her honey and white fringe off her face. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God you were amazing! Oh, my God. You were so brilliant."

"Well, yeah, I was OK wasn't I? I was behind you both every set pf the way. Had to make sure you were both OK" Then he looked at Gee and I. "You both OK?"

I nodded, feeling a palpitating heart from Gee's wrist. She worked hard, pushed herself. "OK." For us and for him.

"Just OK?"

"It's alright, it doesn't matter. I don't need him to like me. Besides, Georgia already does." Gee liked everyone, she just didn't understand. "It doesn't matter if he likes me or hates me, I just need to do exactly one thing for you. Doctor, am I right?" Of course. But no one would ever live up to my expectations. "I need to be good enough for you. That's why he's angry. Just in case I'm not."

"He, er, he did just save the whole world."

And? So had a lot of people. "Yes, yes. Good start."

Which mean that all I had left to do was kick Skovox off in deep space. So, I took the disruptive influence for a little trip. Farewell, Skovox Blitzer. Have a nice war. So, Courtney Woods, impressed yet?"

She was clinging on to Georgia for dear life. "Actually, I'm feeling a bit ill."

"Ah, it can be a bit overwhelming. But look." I pointed to the outside. "The Olveron cluster. A million stars. A hundred million inhabited planets." At which point she gagged and ran off to empty the contents of her stomach. "Ah, yes, there's been a spillage."


	8. Chapter Eight

**Georgia**

OK. So, I come out of the shower into my room, covered in the drawings as the Doctor and I tried to piece together the picture, before staring at the three people stood in the room. The Doctor, Clara and that girl, the disruptive influence, Courtney. To which they all just averted their eyes and threw me a spacesuit before I was dragged out onto a ship with them. Would have been great had I known what the hell we were doing, but I guess I'd have to go into space with wet hair.

"This isn't the moon. Where are we?"

"On a recycled space shuttle." The Doctor told the girl as I took off my helmet, my hair not liking the squish. I had bouncy hair, I liked that. "2049, judging by that prototype version of the Bennett oscillator." Everyone else now copied and took them off. "Where's the gravity coming from?"

Clara pointed at the things around us. Not good. "What are they?"

"About a hundred nuclear bombs."

An alarm sounded, out driver looking out through the airlock window. We swapped a good space ship, for a crappy one that was crashing, brilliant. "Ah. We're on our way to the moon. Check that. We're about to crash into it! Hold on! Hold on!"

We all grabbed hold of cargo nets, the Doctor holding onto me at the same time to try and keep me upright. "Why didn't you just tell her you didn't mean it?" Clara demanded, trying to keep hold of Courtney at the same time.

The space shuttle belly-flopped onto the moon's surface, skidding to a halt. At which point a 3 person shuttle crew entered, lead by a woman. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Why have you got all these nuclear bombs?"

"I'm not going to give you another chance."

"Oh? Well, you're just going to have to shoot us, then." Now the Doctor pointed to myself and Courtney. "Shoot the little girls first. She is a little girl really, she's just got the body of a middle aged one." Clara was staring at him in shock. "Yes. They don't want to stand there watching us getting shot, do they? They'll be terrified. Girls first, then her teacher, and then me. You'll have to spend a lot of time shooting me because I will keep on regenerating." Courtney sat on the deck behind the big Russian bomb and sulked, while I just got confused. Did I really look that old? "In fact, I'm not entirely sure that I won't keep on regenerating for ever."

I was also wondering why he was making slow steps back and forth, before doing bunny hops. "Doctor, what are you doing?"

He didn't even look at me as I closed my eyes, placing my hand over my chest again as I felt my heart thud. It hurt... "Gravity test. So, it'll be very time-consuming and messy, and rather wasteful, because I think I might just possibly be able to help you. You see, I am a super-intelligent alien being who flies in time and space. Are you going to shoot me?" The woman shook her head. "Good. Why have you got all these nuclear bombs? No, no, no. Easier question. What's wrong with my yo-yo?"

And used one to test the gravity. "Doctor, it goes up and down." Gravity check... "We should be bouncing about this cabin like little fluffy clouds. But we're not. What is the matter with the moon?"

"Nobody knows."

Clara looked at the man who always seemed to have the answers. "Do you know what's wrong with the moon?"

"It's put on weight."

"How can the moon put on weight?"

As usual, I found that I knew. How come I knew all of this stuff, but I couldn't even remember my name, or where I was from? "Oh, lots of ways. Gravity bombs, axis alignment systems, planet shellers."

The woman just looked at me. "So it's alien."

Probably? Who could say, I'd never actually been to the moon before, were aliens normally interested in it? "Must be causing chaos on Earth. The tides will be so high that they will drown whole cities." She now agreed. "So what are you doing about it?"

She took a case from the wall. "This?"

"That's what you do with aliens, isn't it? Blow them up?" The Doctor seemed to think so.

But we helmeted up again and headed onto the moons surface, Courtney getting to go first. Apparently it made her special, not that she wasn't already. She was sweet. "Wow. Wow! One small thing for a thing. One enormous thing for a thingy thing."

Lundvik, the woman, shook her head. "So much for history." We headed out of the scorched and pretty much wrecked unnamed space shuttle and walked over to a modular settlement in a nearby crater. Courtney took her mobile phone from a pocket and started to take lots of photos, as a half-Earth hung in the sky. Beautiful, so, so beautiful. "There was a mining survey, Mexicans. Something happened up here. Nobody knows what. That's when the trouble began back on Earth. High tide everywhere at once. The greatest natural disaster in history."

We walked around the building finding the airlock wide open. "Cobwebs?" Clara questioned as I tilted my head to the side, thinking.

"Henry, go back and prime the bombs."

"Er, is there any instructions?"

He got a look that I knew well. Discontent. "There's a switch on each of them. The light goes red."

Now he looked terrified. "They won't go off?"

She shook her head. "No, not till I fiddle with this thing."

The red case she had kept with her since she took it off the wall. So he finally agreed and headed off. "Is that the best you could get?"

"Second-hand space shuttle, third-hand astronauts."

Inside the module, there were a remarkable amount of cobwebbs for a building open to the vacuum, my main thought wanting to see how big the spiders must have been before I closed the door behind us. "How many people here?"

"Four. Minera Luna San Pedro." Pretty name. "It was privately financed. They were doing a mineral survey up here."

"Messages? Mayday? SOS?"

The other bloke shrugged. "Pretty much all the satellites had been whacked out of orbit. They managed to send back some screams."

"So then you came up here to rescue them with your bombs?"

"Not quite."

Lundvik just looked at us as the Doctor put a protective hand on my shoulder. "They disappeared ten years ago."

That confused him. "Nobody came?"

"There was no shuttle."

"You had one."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "It was in a museum. They'd cut the back off it so kids could ride in it. We'd stopped going into space. Nobody cared. Not until-"

Courtney screamed then, making us all run over to her to see a spacesuit hanging in a cocoon. "Oh, my God. Doctor, tell me there wasn't anyone inside that thing."

"It would be a lie though." I told her softly, not afraid as I moved the webbing aside to see the bones inside the torn fabric. I didn't really fear anything but my dream, and even then it was the pain of the liquid more than anything. "The Doctor told me not to lie."

"I'll get some power back on."

Clara was trying to move her student away from the dead body. "Come on. Now, Courtney, come here. Don't look. You all right?"

The girl nodded. "I'm okay."

"Hey. Look. Look at me. Look." She insisted, trying to stop her looking as I finished cutting it down. "It's all right if you're not."

"I'm fine. What did it?"

It was interesting, actually. Morbid, but interesting. I'd discovered, through my art style, that basically summed me up. "Maybe something trying to find out how you're put together. Or maybe how you tasted."

Courtney looked at us all. "Do we have guns?"

"Not unless you brought some."

I didn't like guns. "Chicken, apparently." Then the settlement powered up. "Save the air. And, my hair is still drying."

Everyone took their helmets off, the Doctor powering up a console to look at records. One thing that I had definitely learned, was just press buttons. "They didn't find anything." We all looked at him. "The Mexicans. They didn't find any minerals on the moon at all. Nada." And now saw photos on the table. "Oh."

Now I saw it as well. "Lines of tectonic stress."

"That's the Mare Fecunditatis." Lundvik pointed. "It's been there since the Apollo days. It's always been there."

"No, no, no. These are much, much bigger." He insisted as I brushed my still wet hair off my face. Never go into the vacuum of space with wet hair. "Sea of Tranquillity. Sea of Nectar. Sea of Ingenuity. Sea of Crises."

None of this was any good. "The moon is falling apart."

And then everything went bang and shook, the Doctor grabbing me quickly. There was a high-pitched sound and a scuttling noise, coming right towards us. "What the hell was that?"

"Duke, is that you?"

He came back through comms. "I don't sound anything like that."

"Can you try and get the lights back on?"

"That's what I'm doing."

The Doctor held out his hand. "Torch. Give me your torch. Whatever it is, it's in here." Claws... "I think we've found your alien"

A giant spider with luminous red knees heads for them down an adjoining corridor. Only, only 6 legs... How was that a spider? "Back, back, back! We need a door. A door, a door!"

Clara had found one. "Here! Here! The door's locked."

"Come on, come on!" He growled, trying to get it open. "There's no power to work it. Come on!"

Oh, sweet Jesus... "Doctor."

He dragged us down behind the table, keeping my head down. "Stay still. It's sensing movement. It can't see you. Fast movement. There must be another exit through there. Slowly. Slowly. Head to that exit. Slowly. Slowly. Slowly, slowly." We inched our way towards the door. "Gently, gently. When I say run, run."

"Who made you the boss?"

"Well, you say run, then."

Then one of the creatures leapt onto Duke as he came in from another corridor. "Duke! Duke!"

Only we didn't have time to stop as the door opened. "Run! We have power. Run!"

"Quick, it's shutting."

The door slammed shut as Clara got out, but Courtney and I were on the wrong side, because our feet were no longer in contact with the floor. "Doctor! Clara!"

"Miss!"

"Georgia! Courtney! The power's gone again."

Please, please, please... "Doctor, it's coming in here!"

His greyish blue eyes were terrified. "You'll be okay! Gee, Courtney, look at me. Look at me! Girls!" The 6 legged spider was walking across the ceiling. "Try and get to the door! Try and get yourself down here." He had the glass pane out of the door. "Gee, grab Courtney and then my yo-yo!"

I did so, just as gravity returned and we dropped to the floor. The thing reared over us, Court screaming, then reached for something in her backpack. And sprayed it at the thing as the others came back in. "Kills ninety nine percent of all known germs."

"Good stuff, Courtney." The Doctor nodded, checking me over before looking at the thing. "Just don't try that at home, okay?" He scanned it with the sonic. "Did you say germs? Oh, God, this is incredible. Look at the size of it. It's the size of a badger." Clara tried to shut him up as I got a closer look. "It's a prokaryotic unicellular life form, with non-chromosomal DNA. Which, as you and me know. Well, not you and me. Well, you, certainly not. You and me, yes, scientists know, this is a germ. You flew because that one point three billion tonnes shifted. It moved. It's an unstable mass."

"I'm scared, Miss."

Her teacher tried to comfort her as Lundvik looked at the remains of Duke. "He'd just had a grand-daughter. Elina. She was his first. He was my teacher. He taught me how to fly. We were both given the sack on the same day."

We had to stop this, this wasn't right. "Which way to the Mare Fecunditatis?"

Disruptive Influence was really terrified. "Please can I go home now? I'm really. I'm really sorry, but I'd like to go home."

So we started to trek back across the moon, the Doctor leading us in single file. "Henry, come in. If you don't mind, Henry, come in."

"Doctor, this is dangerous now."

"It was dangerous before. Everythings dangerous if you want it to be." He shot back, keeping hold of one of my hands. At times like this, I had a habit of going crazy and running off in a memory I couldn't actually see. "Eating chips is dangerous. Crossing the road. It's no way to live your life. Tell her. You're supposed to be teaching her."

He got a glare from Clara. "Look, I have a duty of care, okay? You know what that is?"

This only ended in him being confused again. "Course I know what a duty of care is. What are you suggesting? She's fine. What are you, thirty five?"

"Fifteen."

Which ended in her being taken back to the TARDIS, my art stuff being taken off a chair for her to sit down. "Now, don't touch anything."

"You got any games?"

"Oh, don't be so stupid!"

The questions kept coming. "Can I get reception up here?" There was pretty good wifi in here, yeah, but it was better in the kitchen for some reason.

We shut her in, but Clara was confused by this. "Why are you shutting her in? We don't need to stay, do we?" The Doctor stared at her. "It's obvious, isn't it? The moon doesn't break up."

Didn't it? "How do you know?"

"Because I've been in the future, and the moon is still there." Was it? It was just a lump of rock, it could have been anything. "I think. You know the moon is still there, right?"

Our driver shrugged. "Maybe it isn't the moon. Maybe it's a hologram or a big painting, or a special effect. Maybe it's a completely different moon."

"But you would know." I pointed out. "You nearly always know, If the moon fell to bits in 2049, somebody would've mentioned it. It would have come up in conversation. So it doesn't break up. So the world doesn't end."

Which Clara took as a win on her part. "So, let's just get in the TARDIS and go."

With a big sigh, the Doctor just gave us both a look. "Gee, Clara, there are some moments in time that I simply can't see. Little eye-blinks. They don't look the same as other things. They're not clear. They're fuzzy, they're grey. Little moments in which big things are decided. And this is one of them. Just now, I can't tell what happens to the moon, because whatever happens to the moon hasn't been decided yet. And it's going to be decided here and now. Which very much sounds as though it's up to us."

"None of you are going anywhere." Lundvik shot back. "I've lost my crew. We were the last astronauts. This is the last shuttle, these are the last nuclear bombs. We're the last chance for Earth, and you're staying to help me."

Guessing we were staying then. "Decision made."

And we went off to look at the survey and sample equipment, finding no much wrong with it. "What is killing the moon?" The Doctor questioned. "Gee, don't wander off, please. We don't have time to catch you if you have another blackout."

"How can the moon die, though?"

He gave us a shrug. Everyone seemed to shrug. "Everything does, sooner or later."

"Can we save it?"

"Depends what's killing it."

More bodies. Same cause of death. "There are the other three." I pointed, before leading the way down to the cobwebs with spacesuits held tight in them. "Is it those germ things, then? Are they like cockroaches? Is it, is it an infestation?"

He just looked thoughtful. "Well, I've only seen one of them. It would take an awful lot more to cause the moon to put on one point three billion tonnes." Fair point.

A giant germ came out of its lair next to a spacesuit and jumped me, so I screamed and tried to beat it off. "Georgia!"

When they remembered that the spray wouldn't work in a vacuum, they grabbed at its legs and get it off my faceplate. It scuttled back into its lair. "Well, that makes two." I gasped, my hand over my heart again. "My heart is racing..."

"Sunlight." We all looked at Clara. "If they're germs. My nan says it's the best disinfectant there is."

The Doctor pointed down the hole. "Shine your light down there." It showed a lot of the creepy red kneed germs.

"Where have they come from?"

"Maybe they've been there all the time." I suggested, remembering a book I read on bacteria. Had I ever read a book on bacteria? "It's warmish. They're multiplying, feeding, evolving."

Which meant we backed off quickly, the human astronaut looking at the Doctor like he held all the answers. Which he probably did. "Doctor, if the moon breaks up, it'll kill us all in about forty five minutes."

He nodded at her. "I agree. Unless something else is going on." And did something with the yo-yo to get a sample from a fissure. It came back wet. "It's not water. It's amniotic fluid. The stuff that life comes from. I've got to go down there. Back to your shuttle. Get your bombs ready. You two, get to the TARDIS. Get safe. Get Courtney safe. I will be back."

Then he took the germ killer from Clara before jumping into the fissure before we could stop him. "Doctor!"

"Will he?" Honestly? Didn't have a clue. He didn't have a history of rational thought, which didn't help me because I saw it as normal. "Will he be back?"

Knowing him, yes. He was too stubborn to die. "If he says so, I suppose he will."

And just left him to it, before Courtney tried to get in contact with us. "Miss? Miss Gee? Come in. I'm bored. When are you coming back?"

Clara sighed to herself as we spoke to her student. "We're on our way. What you doing?"

"Putting some pictures on Tumblr." What was Tumblr?

"No! Courtney, don't put any photos on Tumblr."

That made the grumpy astronaut laugh a little. "My granny used to put things on Tumblr." A small moonquake made us all stagger. "There he is.

Henry, his helmet open to the vacuum and he was a skeleton. Clara looked across at the shuttle, on the opposite side of a ravine. "Was that where we landed? It looks so different."

Cracks formed in the moon's crust. "It's going down." And the entire shuttle tumbled into the widening ravinen. "Courtney! Doctor!"

"We going to have to take cover." Lundvik informed us, checking her tank. "We're running out of oxygen."

"Doctor!"

Queue him dramatically appearing behind us. "Today's the day, humankind."

Then pulled us to the module, giving us a chance to take off our helmets in stale air. "Where's the TARDIS?"

He shrugged. "She's in the shuttle, isn't she? She'll turn up."

Which annoyed Clara. "Last time you said that, she turned up on the wrong side of the planet."

"You two have never gotten on, have you?" She seemed to love me, which was weird if she didn't like Clara.

"Look, we need to know where Courtney is."

The Doctor waved her off. "Courtney is safe." Now backtracked. "Och. Well, do you have her phone number?"

She shook her head emphatically. "No, no, no. Of course I don't have her phone number."

I could tell that he was getting impatient. "Well, what about the school? Does the secretary have her number?"

"I can't." Clara looked terrified of the thought. "The secretary hates me. She thinks I gave her a packet of TENA Lady for Secret Santa. Look. Courtney's posting stuff on Tumblr. Doesn't that know where you are?"

"I don't know. I'm not a historian." What even was Tumblr?!

"Phone." Clara handed him one. "I know what the problem is. Oh, she can't post that. She can't put pictures of us online." Maybe if someone was looking for me they'd see it and find me?

The Doctor sonicked Clara's phone then aimed at a monitor up on the wall. To show Court. "Yeah?"

"You can't put pictures of us online."

Because that was really what we were worried about right now. "Are you okay?"

She just seemed confused by the question. "Er, I'm fine. What's up?"

Astronaut lady agreed. "You said you know what the problem is."

"Yes, yes. It's a rather big problem." And what might that problem be? "Well, I had a little hypothesis. The seismic activity, the surface breaking up, the variable mass, the increase in gravity, the fluid. I scanned what's down there." Then moved the console to create a 3D projection of the moon. "The moon isn't breaking apart. Well, actually, it is breaking apart, and rather quickly. We've got about an hour and a half. But that isn't the problem. It's not infested."

"What are they, then, those things?"

"Bacteria. Tiny, tiny bacteria living on something very, very big." Um, if that was the size of the bacteria, how big was the creature inside? "Something that weighs about one point three billion tonnes. Something that's living. Something growing." And pointed to the image to show what looked like a baby dragon inside, curled around itself. "That."

Courtney stared at it. "That lives under the moon?"

"No."

"That is the moon." I realised, remembering the amniotic fluid. "The moon isn't breaking apart. The moon is hatching. The moon's an egg."

Clara was struggling to keep up now. "Has it, er, has it always been an egg?"

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Yes, for a hundred million years or so. Just, just growing. Just getting ready to be born."

Still struggling. "Okay. So the moon has never been the moon?"

"No, no, no, no. It's never been dead." He corrected. "It's just taking a long time to come alive."

"Is it a chicken?" What the hell, Courtney?! "Cos, for a chicken to have laid an egg that big-"

There was a big sigh from him now, the Doctor putting an arm around me shoulder. "Courtney, don't spoil the moment."

"Doctor, what is it?"

He gave us a smile. "I think that it's unique. I think that's the only one of its kind in the universe. I think that that is utterly beautiful." It was. So, so small and beautiful in comparison to the universe.

Then the human ruined it. "How do we kill it?"

I stared at her in horror. "Why'd you want to kill it?"

"It's a little baby." Exactly Courtney. The baby didn't choose where the egg was laid.

She was adamant she had to destroy this innocent life. "Doctor, how do we kill it?"

He looked at her harshly. "Kill the moon?" She nodded and he turned off the hologram. "Kill the moon. Well, you have about a hundred of the best man-made nuclear weapons, if they still work. If that's what you want to do."

"Doctor, wait-"

"Will that do it?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrow at her. "A hundred nuclear bombs set off right where we are, right on top of a living, vulnerable creature? It'll never feel the sun on its back."

"And then what? Will the moon still break up?" Lundvik asked as I questioned why he was telling her this. He'd save the day, he always saved the day. "You said, you said we had an hour and a half?"

With a shrug, he just kept a cool, hard gaze on her, not letting me move away. "Well, there'll be nothing to make it break up. There will be nothing trying to force its way out. The gravity of the little dead baby will pull all the pieces back together again. Of course, it won't be very pretty. You'd have an enormous corpse floating in the sky. You might have some very difficult conversations to have with your kids."

This didn't concern her. "I don't have any kids." But there were still a lot of kids in the future.

Clara was now desperate to put a stop to the conversation. "Stop. Right, listen. This is a, this is a life. I mean, this must be the biggest life in the universe."

"It's not even been born."

The woman didn't care. "It is killing people. It is destroying the Earth."

The baby didn't know any better. It couldn't know better. "You cannot blame a baby for kicking."

She just looked at me hard as I remembered what the Doctor told me, focus on a beat, a rhythm. So I started to tap the fingers of my left hand in order, ignoring my thumb as I just counted the taps. "Let me tell you something. You want to know what I took back from being in space? Look at the edge of the Earth. The atmosphere, that is paper thin. That is the only thing that saves us all from death. Everything else, the stars, the blackness. That's all dead. Sadly, that is the only life any of us will ever know."

"There's life here" Courtney insisted. "There's life just next door."

"Look, when you've grown up a bit, same with you Pixie, you'll realise that everything doesn't have to be nice. Some things are just bad. Anyway, you ran away. It's none of your business."

Which made the younger girl determined to get back to us. "Doctor, Miss Gee, I want to come back." Clara tried to keep her there as the code for the bombs started to be inputted. "Doctor, Georgia, I'm sorry. I want to come back, okay? I want to help."

The man who had just told her how to kill this poor creature decided to bring her here. "Ah, there's some DVDs on the blue book shelf. Just stick one into the TARDIS console. That'll bring you to me. And make sure you hang on to the console, otherwise the TARDIS will leave you behind."

"So what do we do? Doctor? Huh? Doctor, what do we do?"

"Nothing." No, there had to be something, there will always be something, that's what you taught me! "We don't do anything. I'm sorry, Clara. I can't help you. Not even Georgia should be, not really."

What do you mean, I shouldn't be helping? "Of course you can help."

He gave us a shrug. "The Earth isn't my home. The moon's not my moon. Sorry. Gee lives with you, she has a vote." No, no, no, this wasn't happening, please, this wasn't happening... "Listen, there are moments in every civilisation's history in which the whole path of that civilisation is decided. The whole future path. Whatever future humanity might have depends upon the choice that is made right here and right now. Now, you've got the tools to kill it. You made them. You brought them up here all on your own, with your own ingenuity. You don't need a Time Lord. Kill it. Or let it live. I can't make this decision for you."

"Yeah, well, I can't make it. Neither can Gee, she's, we don't even know what she is." Then she looked at me. "No offence." None taken, it was a fair point.

The Doctor wasn't phased. "Well, there's three of you here."

"Well, yeah. A school teacher, an amnesiac pixie and an astronaut."

"Who's better qualified?"

Quite a few people, actually! "I don't know! The President of America."

I just got brushed right off. "Oh, take something off his plate. He makes far too many decisions anyway."

He got corrected. "She."

"She. Sorry. She hasn't even been into space. She hasn't been to another planet." We only had because of you! "How would she even know what to do?"

How would I know what to do? I didn't even know my own name! "I am asking you for help."

The Doctor just looked at me for a moment, like he was trying hard not to show compassion regarding me. "Listen, we went to dinner in Berlin in 1937, right?" I got food poisoning. "We didn't nip out after pudding and kill Hitler. I've never killed Hitler. And you wouldn't expect me to kill Hitler. The future is no more malleable than the past."

Clara tried now, hoping that she would have better luck. "Okay, don't you do this to make some kind of point."

"Sorry. Well, actually, no, I'm not sorry." Jesus, he meant it... "It's time to take the stabilisers off your bike. It's your moon, womankind. It's your choice."

"And you're just going to stand there?"

"Absolutely not." Now the TARDIS turned up and Courtney came out. "A teenager, an astronaut, a schoolteacher and an amnesiac pixie."Said astronaut stared at him in shock. "Hang on a minute. We can get in there, can't we? You can sort it out with that thing."

He shook his head at her as I slid down the wall and hugged my knees to my chest. I didn't understand... "No. Some decisions are too important not to make on your own."

And just went into the TARDIS and left us before Clara could stop him. "Oh, what a prat." Another moonquake caused germs to come flooding onto the surface from fissures. "I'm going to detonate the bombs, agreed? Agreed?" A porthole broke and the air rushed out. "Hang on tight, there's been a breach!"

The vacuum sucked a handy piece of metal over the hole and sealed it, Courtney coming to sit next to me on the floor. "If we let it live, what would happen if the moon wasn't there?"

"Listen, we haven't got time for this."

You know what? Screw it, I was not killing this creature! It wasn't its fault! "We're discussing it! What would happen if the moon wasn't there?" Courtney suggested her physics textbook, but I was good at physics. Physics was numbers and numbers were comforting. "Okay, there would be no tides. But we'd survive that, right? They've knocked out the satellites. There's no internet, no mobiles. I'd be fine with that."

"It's not going to just stop being there, because inside the moon, Miss, is a gigantic creature forcing its way out." And? The creature could very well be kind when it wakes up. "And when it does, which is going to be pretty damn soon, there are going to be huge chunks of the moon heading right for us, like whatever killed the dinosaurs, only ten thousand times bigger."

"But the moon isn't make of rock and stone, is it? It's made of eggshell."

I could tell I was making her angrier, but I was getting angry too, tapping that rhythm faster on my leg to stop myself having another of those panic attacks the Doctor helped me stop. "Oh, God. Okay, okay, fine. If, by some miracle, the shell isn't too thick, or if it disperses, or if it goes into orbit, whatever, there's still going to be a massive thing there, isn't there, that just popped out. And what the hell do you imagine that is?"

Court shrugged. "Loads of things lay eggs."

"It's not a chicken."

Now she was getting angry. "I'm not saying it's a chicken. I'm not completely stupid."

"It's an exoparasite." It was not! It had been here since before the creation of humans! "Like a flea. Or a head louse. "

I walked towards her, something in me egging my actions on, to do what my body was telling me to do to her. What was it telling me to do? "I'm going to have to be a lot more certain than that if I'm going to kill a baby."

"Oh, you want to talk about babies?. You've probably got babies down there now. You want to have babies?"

"I don't even know if I can have them, I don't know who or what I am."

She looked at Clara instead, who had been looking at me carefully. I'd never been angry before, but there was a first time for everything. "Okay. You imagine you've got children down there on Earth now, right? Grandchildren maybe. You want that thing to get out? Kill them all? You want today to be the day life on Earth stopped because you couldn't make an unfair decision? Listen, I don't want to do this. All my life I've dreamed about coming here. But this is how it has to end." And she set the trigger, making me growl at her. "I've given us an hour. There's a cut-out here. If anyone has any bright ideas, or if he comes back, that stops it. But once it's pressed, it stays pressed."

"And if he doesn't come back?"

"I didn't expect to survive anyway." Yeah, but he wouldn't just leave us here, would he? Clara, Courtney and me?

 _He's always going to leave, Gee... You know that, don't you? How many times he left you before... You should do it Gee, you know that you want to. Destroy the trigger and just see what happens. A little chaos is what everyone needs._

I held my breath and tried to ignore the voice in my head, the voice of a woman I'd never heard before, tapping the rhythm again as they spoke about whether or not the Doctor was coming back. Why would he leave us, I just didn't understand... Then the comms crackled to life. "Can anybody hear me? Come in, please. Can anybody -"

Scary astronaut grabbed it. "Lundvik."

"This is ground control."

"Yeah, yeah, I can tell by your haircut." How did that make sense? "How are things down there?"

The guy sighed a little. "Pretty bad. Yeah. Pretty bad. Listen, we're patched in to one of the TV satellites. We haven't got long. How are things up there?"

Clara then had a thought. "Can we broadcast on this?"

"Who are you?"

People who weren't important in the long run. "School trip. Can we broadcast on this?"

He nodded a little. "Well, yes."

So we started to broadcast, letting the world know it's choices. This wasn't my world, it wasn't down to me to decide, it was them. "Hello, Earth. We have a terrible decision to make. It's an uncertain decision and we don't have a lot of time. We can kill this creature or we can let it live. We don't know what it's going to do, we don't know what's going to happen when it hatches. If it will hurt us, help us, or just leave us alone. We have to decide together. This is the last time we'll be able to speak to you, but you can send us a message. If you think we should kill the creature, turn your lights off. If you think we should take the chance, let it live, leave your lights on. We'll be able to see. Goodnight, Earth." And then the transmission ended. "Was that okay?"

Courtney nodded at me. "Yeah."

Things went bang around us, lights flickering as Clara took both our hands. "Come on. Let's see."

Lundvik picked up the trigger case and we walked along a corridor, the moon shaking and the power fluctuating. Running to a porthole, something exploded in flames behind us, and we looked out at the Earth with a small pair of binoculars. Thirty nine minutes to go, then thirty two. Lights went out across the world. Eighteen minutes, five. The planet finished going dark. "Night, night."

"Oh, Doctor, where have you gone?"

"We can't risk it all just to be nice." Clara agreed with Lundvik as the countdown got closer. No, no, no, no, this wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening... "Sorry, girls. See you on the other side. Two-" But I couldn't let it die and just broke the trigger case so it aborted the detonation, letting that voice in my head win. Let's see what would happen, shall we? "Hey!"

Of course, the TARDIS chose that moment to return. Why? I didn't understand any of this, why did he do that? "One, two, three, four into the TARDIS."

Scary astronaut lady just looked at him. "What's happening?"

She got a scary grin from the madman. "Let's go and have a look, shall we?"

And got moving in the blue box as I just stood there, staring at him in wonder. How could he have just done all that? "Bloody idiots. Bloody irresponsible idiots."

"Mind your language, please." The Doctor informed her as I finally realised my hair was dry. "There are children present."

"You should have left me there, let me die." Lundvik insisted. "I wanted to die up there with the universe in front of me, not being crushed to death on Earth."

He just shrugged. "Nobody's going to die."

"Could you please let us see what's happening?"

So he landed us on a beach somewhere, below a full moon in a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds. The moon was falling apart as the baby spread its wings. "What's it doing?"

There was a faint image of a giant winged creature in the sky, making noises. It was beautiful. "It's feeling the sun on itself. It's getting warm. The chick flies away and the eggshell disintegrates. Harmless."

Yeah, but I only did that to see what would happen, sod the humans. "Did you know?" I asked him softly, not letting anyone near me.

"You made your decision. Humanity made its choice."

"No, we ignored humanity." Lundvik snapped. "She's not even human!"

This didn't bother him in the slightest. "Well, there you go."

"So what happens now, then? Tell me what happens now."

The Doctor turned his back on us and closed his eyes briefly. "In the mid-twenty first century humankind starts creeping off into the stars, spreads its way through the galaxy to the very edges of the universe. And it endures till the end of time." Now looked back at us. "And it does all that because one day in the year 2049, when it had stopped thinking about going to the stars, something occurred that make it look up, not down. It looked out there into the blackness and it saw something beautiful, something wonderful, that for once it didn't want to destroy. And in that one moment, the whole course of history was changed. Not bad for a girl from Coal Hill School, her teacher, and a girl that doesn't even know her own name."

Now Courtney was getting really excited. "Oh, my gosh. It laid a new egg. It's beautiful. Doctor Miss Gee, it's beautiful."

"That's what we call a new moon."

A blank white round thing in the sky waiting for fresh meteorites to start decorating its surface. "You can be the first woman on that."

"I think that somebody deserves a thank you."

The Scary Astronaut nodded in agreement. "Yeah, probably." So looked at me. "Thank you. Thank you for stopping me. Thank you for giving me the moon back." I didn't deserve thanks... I only did it to stop the voice in my head.

It threw the Doctor for a moment, before he just went with it. "Okay, Captain. Well, you've got a whole new space programme to get together. NASA is er, it's that way. About two and a half thousand miles." So now looked at the schoolgirl. "You still got your vortex manipulators? I'll give you a run home."

While they dropped Courtney off, I changed into some pyjamas, not feeling comfortable in anything else, and got back just as an argument started between Clara and the Doctor. "Tell me what you knew, Doctor, or else I'll smack you so hard you'll regenerate."

"I knew that eggs are not bombs." He replied, looking at her, not seeing me stood in the gallery behind them, so I ducked down to listen. "I know they don't usually destroy their nests. Essentially, what I knew was that you would always make the best choice. I had faith that you would always make the right choice."

"Honestly, do you have music playing in your head when you say rubbish like that?"

He shrugged at her. "It wasn't my decision to make. I told you."

Clara was livid. "Well, why did you do it? Was it for Courtney, was that it?"

"Well, she really is something special now, isn't she?" He beamed at her. "First woman on the moon, saved the Earth from itself, and, rather bizarrely, she becomes the President of the United States. She met this bloke called Blinovitch-"

Now she really lost it. "Do you know what? Shut up! I am so sick of listening to you!"

"Well, I didn't do it for Courtney. I didn't do it for Georgia. I didn't know what was going to happen. Do you think I'm lying?"

My best friend, my only friend, was crying with rage. "I don't know. I don't know. If you didn't do it for her, I mean. Do you know what? It was, it was cheap, it was pathetic. No, no, no. It was patronising. That was you patting us on the back, saying, you're big enough to go to the shops by yourself now. Go on, toddle along. Gee was crying! She didn't understand, I don't think she understands at all, you're the person she thought she knew, the person she thought loved her!"

"No, that was me allowing you to make a choice about your own future. That was me respecting you. It was me respecting her enough to give her the independence she needs to develop. She's not my daughter or anything, Clara."

"Oh, my God, really? Was it?" She scoffed, shaking her head. "Yeah, well, respected is not how I feel. I'm sure that the girl you promised to look after feels the opposite too. She's just a kid!" The Doctor wasn't sure what to say as I felt tears running down my face again. "She only just destroyed it in time. We nearly got it wrong. "That was you, my friend, making us scared. Making us feel like bloody idiots."

"Language."

Clara got worse as I struggled not to cry harder, to let them know that I was there. "Oh, don't you ever tell me to mind my language. Don't you ever tell us to take the stabilisers off my bike. And don't you dare lump me and Gee in with the rest of all the little humans that you think are so tiny and silly and predictable. You walk our Earth, Doctor, you breathe our air. You make us your friend, and that is your moon too. You said as much about Gee, why she should help. And you can damn well help us when we need it."

The Doctor still believed in what he was saying. "I was helping."

"What, by clearing off?" He agreed. "Yeah, well, clear off! Go on. You can clear off. Get back in your lonely, your lonely bloody TARDIS and you don't come back." Now he was trying to stop her. "You go away. Okay? You go a long way away."

And she slammed out of the TARDIS, before he dematerialised, looking sad himself. Then looked up as I made a whimpering noise, his eyes widening. "Gee! Georgia!"

I just got up and I started to run from the console room before he could catch me, tears flowing from my eyes.


	9. Chapter Nine

**The Doctor:**

Hearing Gee cry, then watch her run away from me, my hearts sank as I tried to run after her. But she had always been fast, ridiculously so, meaning I lost her in the hallway, any of over 150 doors that she could be hidden behind. "Georgia! Please, Gee, I'm sorry!"

There was only silence in reply, so I wandered up and down, trying to find the door that she was hiding behind. Before hearing a soft snuffle of a girl trying not to keep crying and a humming noise. Room 42, the art studio, of course.

Silently, I slipped in there and found her surrounded by paint and and charcoal, her still pale face marred by the black stuff as she tried to make sense of the emotions she didn't understand by drawing them. She'd drawn a beautiful dragon and herself on the back with longer hair and brighter eyes, but at the same time, there were tears on the paper as she kept crying. "Gee..."

"Go away. I'm not your problem, remember?" She snapped, her eyes looking up for a brief moment, furious as well as upset. I'd never even seen her angry before, I didn't know she had it in her to be angry. "I'm just some kid that you've taken in to do all the leg work."

"No, that is not it, that is not it at all." I insisted, coming to sit in front of her as she kept drawing, adding colour to the picture, so that the dragon, much like the one from out of the moon, was now a soft lilac colour. "Georgia, one day, one day we're going to piece together who you are, love, we're going to find your dad if he's still out there, and you're going to go home. You can't do that if you're so dependent on me that you need me to tell you what to do."

Her eyes looked up and fixed on mine for a moment, not angry any longer, more scared. Not of me, of herself, of the way she'd just felt. Scared of her own anger, like it might not have really been her. "I don't even know why I said that. It wasn't me who thought that, it was her, it was the voice in my head, she pushed me to destroy the detonator..."

I frowned at her, moving closer to lift her back up as she crumpled into noisy sobs. "Gee, hey, Georgia, what do you mean, voice? What voice, whose?"

"Hers!" She cried, clinging to her drawing. "But I wanted to do it, I wanted to see what would happen, sod the humans! I didn't care what happened to them, I just wanted to see the end result."

"You heard a woman? You heard her in your head, Gee?" I asked again, seeing that she was really scared of this, scared of herself and if she was likely to do anything like that again.

"I don't understand, Doctor, I don't understand why you just left me there, why I can hear her while I'm awake now, why I'm like this..."

Had I been a hugging person, I'd probably have done that to try and comfort her, but instead, I tried to distract her by grabbing a fresh piece of paper and drew something for her, instead of the thousand and one bits of paper she'd illustrated for me. It was her, just sat drawing in the console room, her hair tucked behind her ears and her face a picture of concentration. "Do you understand this?"

She frowned at me, wiping her eyes with a big sniff, trying to pull herself together. "O, o, of course I do. It's me."

"Exactly." Now turned the paper over and drew her doing something completely out of character. Like, I dunno, burning down a village just to see the smoke patterns. "What about this?"

"That can't be me, why would I ever burn down a village?" She questioned, looking thoroughly lost. "Doctor, what are you doing?"

"I'm showing you that you're not that sort of a person. You had one strange five minutes because I was unnecessarily mean to both you and Clara. Doesn't mean that you're a bad person." I informed her, making her let go of the drawing she was clutching at before she ruined it. It was a nice picture, I liked keeping them all, I'd started a gallery for her. "Do you want to be a bad person, Gee?"

She shook her head dumbly, dressed in Totoro pyjamas, some Studio Ghibli thing that Clara had watched with her. "No. I want to be good, like you and Clara, and Danny. He's really nice, he didn't just think me weird for being the way I am, he understood."

Just because he was nice, didn't mean that I had to like him, so long as he didn't ever upset you. "Wanting to be good is the best start, Georgia. It means, that even if you do suddenly go bad, that you aren't fully there because the longing to be good can bring you back. Does that make sense?"

There was a moment of pause, where I could feel her heart thrumming fast in her wrist like normal, before she nodded. "Wanting to be good will always make me a little bit good, even if I do bad things because of what's in my head. I just have to try and ignore them so I avoid the bad things as a whole. I still don't understand why I'm like this, why I have that little drive to be like the people we fight!"

"It's just curiosity. Deadly curiosity, but curiosity all the same."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Ah, but you were not a cat. "But satisfaction brought it back. You'll be fine, Gee, I promise. No, about what I did-"

"No. I'm not talking about that. I don't want to talk about that."

"Talking about it will help. I'm sorry if it seemed like it was hard on you, but you have to understand why I did it." I held her sat down so she couldn't wander off before I could explain myself to her properly. I had my reasons and I stood by them, I probably just didn't go the right way about it. "Gee, you aren't my daughter, and I'm sorry if I've somehow imprinted myself on you like a dad, but you have one out there. We are trying to find him, it's what all this work has been for, all the drawing, all the dreams I've been monitoring with you. We're trying to get you back to your real family, so you can learn what your name really is."

Georgia nodded dumbly, her eyes heavy lidded from exhaustion. It had been about 4 days since she last slept, and she'd been woken up by mine and Danny's argument, so that wasn't even the amount of sleep that she needed. "I know. But you don't have to be so mean about it. You're my earliest memory, the first thing I saw when I woke up. Don't just drop me completely, that's not fair."

It really wasn't, but I was worried that I was getting too attached to her, like I'd done with Clara. How was I going to cope ever losing either of them? It wasn't fair that I had to, like I lost so many others. I'd even lose Jack one day, and the random phone calls for me to come and pick him up from prison were going to come to an end. "I won't. Pinky Promise."

That made her smile a little, sleepily wrapping her tiny finger around my own long one before she just dropped, her head resting on my chest as I then struggled to keep the 115 pounds of Pixie upright. So had to stand up and carry her carefully to her room, treading carefully around the masses and masses of paper everywhere, most of which were us trying to work out what the hell she'd drawn.

I lay her down on the bed, before tucking her in with a smile. She really was young, or at least she remembered being young before taking whatever she did to get away from this man who was after her. Someone who Gee left, most likely for a very good reason if this voice was egging her on to do bad things in her head. "I'm sorry, Gee. I really am, I never should have done that to you, put you in that position. I just can't get too attached, not to someone like you..."

With a sigh, I stroked her half white, half honey blonde hair and sat down on the floor to start again with the puzzle of charcoal drawings scattered around the floor, trying to work out where they all went. We'd sort of already locked in one of the eyes, wide and creepy, but that was about as far as we'd gotten. She was a good artist, but when you're drawing in a hurry, having a panic attack and scared that someone was about to get you, you tend to smudge the soft medium in which she was drawing.

Then we had to get it all into her room, so there were even my own fingerprints in there now as I tried to match up how the nose of the person went, struggling to work out why there were what looked like berries as a part of the drawing. Why would a person have fruit near their face if they weren't eating it? That was just pointless, fruit was for eating not for wearing. And this was coming from a man who used to wear a decorative vegetable.

"I'm running."

I turned as I heard Gee's voice, wondering why she was awake again after such a short amount of time, but she wasn't. She was just lying with eyes open, but still asleep. "Georgia?"

"She's gone, but she wasn't real, she was never real to me. I'm running, I just keep running, through the deadliest fire to somewhere safe, my sanctuary. My heart is aching, more than it ever has before, but I will not stop. I can't stop, I can't stop running. Where are you? Father, father, please, where are you? I'm all alone, you promised that I would never be alone..."

"Gee, Gee, it's the Doctor, you're not alone." I told her, not liking the fear, pure and unadulterated fear in her voice as her body just lay tense in her bed. "Georgia, wake up, you need to wake up."

She couldn't hear me, perfect blue eyes looking up at the dark ceiling like it held the secrets of the stars. "You promised that I would never be alone, yet somehow I always am. You left me with him, the man always right behind my shoulder, watching me, calling out to me, luring me over to his side. Why have they always been there? Ever since I was born, he's been watching me, watching us, yet he never came close. Father, please, I'm scared, I'm so scared."

This must have been how the man got close enough to grab her, how she had done this to herself. Something had happened to her mother and she'd run away from it, giving the man a chance to grab her.

"Gee, it's me, you're safe. You'll always be safe as long as I'm here, I promise." I told her softly, sitting down on the side of her bed to cover over her eyes gently with my hand, trying to keep her in darkness so her brain registered that she was actually asleep. "Rest now, OK? You deserve sleep. Sleep, Gee."

With a release of a breath I hadn't been aware that she was holding, her eyes fluttered closed again, allowing me to feel her soft eyelashes on my palm before I took my hand away again. I went to get off the bed, but her hand grabbed mine and held me there tight. "You may have raised me like yours, but I know the truth now, father. I never was and because of what he's done to me, I never will be."

Then she let go and I pulled my hand back quickly, not understanding the words she spoke, or what context that they were meant in, only that she was ever so slightly scaring me with them. Those words weren't how she normally spoke, that was the way she had been earlier. Angry, bitter, full of hatred and disdain. I couldn't place the way she spoke to me, but knew that it was familiar.

"I'll keep you safe, Gee. I promise." I told her softly, brushing her hair back and gently kissed her forehead, hoping that I could make that promise and be able to keep it. Unfortunately, whenever I tried to, it never ended nicely. "Goodnight."


	10. Chapter Ten

Gee:

The TARDIS materialised in a space at the back of a train car, amidst racks of suitcases, and the Doctor went out first, wearing a black suit with a white handkerchief in the breast pocket, before he held out his hand to Clara and then me, both wearing flapper dresses, with jaw-length bobbed hair. "Your train awaits, my ladies."

"Wonderful."

"The baggage car. But thanks for lying. The real wonderful is through here." And opened the door to the next compartment, where music was coming from. "There were many trains to take the name Orient Express, but only one in space."

Comfortable chairs were down the side of the carriage, a bar at one end, and armed men standing guard. The band was playing a slow jazz version of Don't Stop Me Now by Queen, the girl singing with a beautiful voice. "Of course it is."

He was really happy with his choice for Clara's last trip. I'd still be living with her, but I wasn't to talk about how I would still travel with the Doctor. "Completely faithful recreation of the original Orient Express. Except slightly bigger. And in space. Oh, and the rails are actually hyperspace ribbons. But in every other respect, identical. Painstaking attention to detail." A man with a bald head, big red beard and steampunk eyepatch barged in between us. "Most of the time."

"You're doing it again." I whispered into Clara's ear, linking arms with her. "The smile."

"Yeah, I'm smiling."

Even the Doctor had noticed. "It's the sad smile. It's a smile but you're sad. It's confusing. It's like two emotions at once. It's like you're malfunctioning."

She looked down in shame. "Sorry."

"I just thought this would be a good one to-"

My best and only friend interrupted quickly. "To end it. Yeah. It is. It's a good choice. A good one to end on. Though obviously Gee will still be travelling."

"Yeah?" Clara nodded with a smile. "Shall we?"

A maid approached with a tray of champagne flutes, before we were each offered an arm of the Doctor's. He'd been very careful with me recently, more so than normal. I didn't quite understand, but he'd been trying so hard to make me laugh and smile. Not that I minded, it was better than him accidentally making me cry.

An indicator changed from a monocle to a thumbs up with a ting, signalling the onboard computer being about to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen. If you would be good enough to look from the windows on the right of the train, you'll be able to see the soaring majesty of the Magellan black hole."

"Oh, I remember when this was all planets as far as the eye could see. All gone now." He sighed, pointing out the window. "Gobbled up by that beast." Now frowned at Clara. "And there's that smile again. I don't even know how you do that."

"I really thought I hated you, you know? I thought Gee would never want to look at you again."

He didn't like hearing this, putting an arm over my shoulder. I hadn't heard the voice in a while, but I knew it was still in my head. Waiting. "Well, thank God you kept that to yourself. There was this planet, Obsidian. The planet of perpetual darkness."

"I did. I did hate you. In fact, I hated you for weeks."

The Doctor really didn't want to be listening to this. "Good, fine. Well, I'm glad that we cleared that up. There was also a planet that was made completely of shrubs."

"I went to a concert once. Can't remember who it was." Clara smiled, still both sad and happy at the same time. "But do you know what the singer said?"

"Frankly, that would be an absolutely astonishing guess if I did know. It would be a miracle if Gee did." I liked Birdy, Lindsey Stirling, Beth Crowley and He Is We. Pretty much all I listened to and I'd never been to a concert.

"She said, "hatred is too strong an emotion to waste on someone that you don't like.""

She'd lost him though. It was easy to do that, just talk about emotions. To be fair, I got lost then too. "Were people really confused? Cos I'm confused. Did everybody leave?"

Now Clara was getting a little frustrated. "Shush. Shut up. Look, what I'm trying to say is, I don't hate you. I could never hate you." No, I don't think anyone could, not properly. "But I can't do this any more. Not the way you do it. And I'm hoping that you won't push Gee the same way you did last time."

"Can I talk about the planets now?"

Please, I wanted to hear about them. "Yes. Go."

"Thedion Four. Constant acid rain. Had a lovely picnic there once, wearing a gas mask."

"That's a lie."

I blinked, looking at the blonde woman who had appeared behind us. "I'm sorry?"

She was staring at the Doctor. "That's a lie, what you said. Thedion Four was destroyed thousands of years ago, so you couldn't have been there."

The chief train guard came over, more guards with him as he looked at the woman. "Miss Pitt, are you sure you wouldn't rather rest in your room?"

"That man's a liar."

"Perhaps you'd allow Mister Carlyle here to escort you back."

The other uniformed man. "It'll be all right, miss. Just come with me."

He lead her away as the man looked at us. "Sorry about that. I suppose it's understandable in the circumstances. I don't believe we've been introduced. Captain Quell."

"I'm Clara. This is the Doctor, and this is Georgia."

"Ah, another one."

OK, people had to actually start adding context into the sentences coming out of their mouths, this wasn't helping. "Sorry? Another what?"

"Well, we've got doctors and professors coming out of our ears on this trip." Ohhh, that made sense. "So, what are you a doctor of?"

"Now, there's a question that's never asked often enough. Let's say intestinal parasites." Ew.

Quell frowned at him. "I'm beginning to think Miss Pitt was right about you."

There was someone who could have done with some help. "What's wrong with her? Did something happen?"

"You mean you really don't know?" There were a lot of things that I didn't know, mate.

But he explained what happened to us, before we all took our drinks into the corridor to talk. They had champagne, I just had something called a henry, orange juice and lemonade. "There's a body and there's a mummy. I mean, can you not just get on a train? Did a wizard put a curse on you about mini-breaks?"

The Doctor just shrugged. "It might be nothing. Old ladies die all the time. It's practically their job description."

Even I knew there was something fishy about this. Why was it called a fishy situation? How did it ever get that name, it didn't make sense. "And the monster?"

"Well, seen by no one except her, which suggests that it wasn't there. A dying brain, lack of oxygen, hallucinations." That made sense. "Anyway, people do just die sometimes. She was over a hundred years old."

"Says the two thousand year old man."

Hmmm, did I detect longing, dear housemate? "Clara, you actually sound as if you want this to be a thing. Do you?"

"No. No, look, fine." Liar. "You know, if you think that there is nothing to worry about, then that is fine by me."

"Are you sure?"

"Ah, yes, I'm sure."

The Doctor held up his glass with a smile. "To our last hurrah."

She nodded with a smile. "Our last, yeah. I mean, it's not like I'm never going to see you again."

"Isn't it?" He asked in confusion. "I thought that's what you wanted."

"No, what I mean, you're going to come round for dinner or something, aren't you?" She asked him. "Do you, do you do that? Do you come round to people's houses for dinner? Cause I am planning making Gee safe for humanity and getting her a job." She was? I thought my job was doing all her housework?

With a completely false smile, he nodded. "Of course. Why wouldn't I do that?"

"I don't know. I thought you might find it boring."

"Is it boring?"

I wanted to see him and Danny sat around a table together, that would be funny and so not boring for me. "No." And raised my glass to his. "To the last hurrah together."

"The last hurrah."

We clinked glasses before going to our rooms, with me sharing with the Doctor. Something to do with me apparently sleep talking/walking. I didn't know, I was asleep at the time. "It's nothing. Nothing. Definitely. Sure. Ninety nine percent sure. Really? Ninety nine percent? That's quite high. Is that the figure you're sticking with? Okay, okay. Seventy five."

It was funny listening to him talk to himself. "Well, that's jumped quite a bit. You've just lost twenty four percent."

He was still muttering to himself. "Because you know what this sounds like, don't you?"

"No, do tell me."

"A mummy that only the victim can see."

Doctor... "I was being rhetorical."

"I know exactly what this sounds like." Then he got out of bed and lifted me out of the top bunk, back in my pyjamas, and out on his own jacket. "Come on, Gee."

"Yeah, sure, OK." I nodded, tying up my hair to put up the hood and then followed him out. He hesitated outside Clara's door before we just walked on, going into a car with computer screens above a workbench, blueprints on a drafting table. Racks of tools. The Doctor found a piece of equipment bubbling to itself, and apparently powering up according to the display, so on his nod I took off the plastic wrapping so he could scan it. Only someone made up jump. "Jesus!"

He was just looking at us though. "Beautiful bit of kit, isn't it, sir, miss? The Excelsior Life Extender. It's like driving around in a portable hospital."

The Doctor nodded, stepping in front of me slyly. "Yes, well, it didn't do Mrs Pitt much good, did it?"

"Got me there, sir." The man agreed. "Certainly got me there. Maybe it malfunctioned."

Nope, I had the screen up here, it was easy. "Oh, I don't think so. The records show that the machine did everything it could to keep her alive."

"Yeah. And almost drained the battery doing it."

"What do you know?"

He shrugged, before folding his arms to look at the both of us. "Well, I know that when I find a man and his daughter fiddling with a chair that someone died in, it's best to play my cards close to my chest."

So he then got really annoyed, folding his arms as well. Which made me frown, before folding my arms to copy, not liking being left out. "Really? Well, I know that when I find a man loitering near a chair that someone died in, I do just the same."

"Perkins. Chief Engineer."

"The Doctor. Nosey Parker. This is Georgia, not my daughter, Amnesiac Pixie."

Perkins laughed a little then. "Pleased to meet you, Doctor, Miss Georgia." And they shook hands as I kept my arms folded. "Course, there's a rumour that someone or something else might be responsible."

One of the other professors or doctors in the train, so we headed over to him, the Doctor pointing accusingly. "What's the most interesting thing about the Foretold?"

"I'm terribly sorry, I don't believe we've met."

He wasn't really paying attention to that. "You know. The Foretold. Mythical mummy. Legend has it that if you see it, you're a dead man."

"Yes, I know what it is. You see, I happen to be-"

We'd already been told this. "Emil Moorhouse, professor of alien mythology. I'm Georgia, this is my friend the Doctor. Pleased to meet you. So, the most interesting thing about the Foretold. Go."

I sat down on the other side of his table, the Doctor doing the same. "Er, well, it would have to be the time limit given before it kills you. I can't think of another myth where it's so specific. How does it go? Er, The number of evil twice over. They that bear the Foretold's stare have sixty six seconds to live."

"No, no, no. Nice try. Very atmospheric. But that's not it. Try again." He was always mean.

"A cynical man might say that you were trying to pump me for information."

He just looked at him. "The myth of the Foretold first appeared over five thousand years ago. In some stories, there is a riddle or secret word that is supposed to make it stop. Some characters try to bargain with it, offer riches, confess sins. All to no avail." Then offered him a cigarette case with jelly babies in it. Nice.

"Well, you certainly know a little mythology."

Even I knew that, it made sense. "I only have 6 months of memories, and I know that from time to time, it turns out to be true."

Moorehouse gave me a small smile. "But that's the great appeal, isn't it?Earth legends are such dry, dusty affairs, and always fiction. But up here, in the stars, anything's possible. That's why I chose this field, to be honest. Hoping one day I might meet a real monster."

"Isn't that everyone's dream?" The Doctor asked softly. "But you still haven't answered my riddle. What's the most interesting thing about the Foretold?"

"Well, you can't run from it, that's for sure. There are accounts of people trying, but it never works. No matter how far you run, it's always right there behind you."

He shook his head as I was handed a hot chocolate. My episodes got worse with caffeine, so the Doctor banned it from the flat and the TARDIS. "Nope. Even colder."

Something told me we'd sufficiently annoyed him by this point. "All right, I give up, you two tell me."

"Mrs Pitt, the old woman who died."

He shrugged. "She died of old age. Nothing supernatural."

This guy was an expert? "No. That's my answer."

"Her death?"

"No." I replied softly, wiping my mouth on a napkin. Whipped cream moustaches weren't attractive. "The fact that you were here to witness it." Something started to happen behind us. "Excuse us, Professor."

And followed the captain dude to the kitchens, finding out that another person had kicked the bucket. Which confirmed the Doctor's theory on the Foretold. "I think we need to talk."

Quell shook his head. "This matter does not concern the passengers."

Only now the psychic paper was coming out. "We're not passengers. We're your worst nightmare."

"Mystery shoppers. Oh, great."

He got stared at for a moment in pure shock. "Really? That's your worst? Okay, we're mystery shopper. I could do with an extra pillow, Gee needs another blanket and I'm very disappointed with your breakfast bar and all of the dying."

So we got taken to his office, where he poured two drinks and a glass of water before sighing. He had a certificate of bravery. "This is not exactly within your job description."

And? "Come on, Captain. Where would we all be if we all followed our job descriptions, hmm? Good question. Glad you asked. In your case, you'd be doing something instead of climbing inside a bottle."

"I have followed the procedure for accidental death to the letter."

"Yes, I'm sure you have." I agreed, looking at all of the policies on my phone. Research was fun. "And I'm sure you do just enough of your job to avoid complaints."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You don't know anything about me."

You want to bet? I hacked the server about ten minutes ago, had every single bio on the staff you had, including you. "Wounded in battle, honourable discharge. And this is just a guess, but I think you've had the fight knocked out of you. You expected this to be a cushy desk job where you could put your head down until retirement. Well, I'm sorry. As of today, that dream is over."

"There is no evidence of any attack or other parties"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Yes, let's just sit around and wait for the evidence while the bodies pile up. Or here's a crazy thought. We could do something to stop it. Why are we even talking to you?"

So then we headed out to talk to Perkins, waiting with rolls of papers. I could hack, but physical copies were better. "Er, passenger manifest, plan of the train and a list of stops for the past six months."

"Quick work, Perkins. Maybe too quick."

In response, he just rolled his eyes. "Yes, sir. I'm obviously the mummy. Or perhaps I was already looking into this. Your daughters sweet."

"She's not my daughter." The Doctor told him as we started back to watch the CCTV with Moorhouse. Which was alarming, because she was in a lot of fear as she died. "Sixty six seconds. It fits the myth. Did you see the lights flicker?"

They both made noises of agreement, before Perkins added more information. "Yeah, the lights went in the kitchen as well just before the chef saw it."

The Professor was getting very interested, in an unhelpful way. "In all of the accounts, conventional weapons have no effect on the Foretold. It's immortal, unstoppable, unkillable."

"Can we get a new expert?" Would probably be useful.

Eventually the other two fell asleep in the Engineer's room, Moorhouse in a chair, and Perkins slumped at his desk. I'd not long slept for two days, so I was looking through papers with the Doctor, before morning came about. Basically, the computers woke up and opened the blinds. So he called Clara. "Doctor? Gee?"

"Wake up Sleepy-head. Time for breakfast." I wanted breakfast, I was hungry. To be fair, I was always hungry, I never stopped eating. "Knowing this train, it'll taste amazing."

"Doctor, please, I'm in trouble"

He was already off on a mini-rant. "Can't even get that right, huh?" She tried to interrupt him. "Bad food on trains is traditional."

"Doctor, please, just li-"

Nope, still going. I'd timed him once, it took 5 minutes for him to realise that I was stuck in an airlock that was on a timer to be jettisoned, all because someone had spilt something on him. "Listen, there's been another mummy murder. So our last hurrah just became a bit more interesting."

"I'm trapped!"

He finally heard her. "What? Where are you?"

And then pulled me with him as he dashed out of the room, waking up the other two as he did. "Clara!" I cried, banging on the door she was trapped behind. "Clara!"

"Yes. Yes. Hello. Can you hear us?"

We could, but it would be easier once the Doctor managed to open the door. Only it shocked him. "Ow! Computer, can you open the door, please?"

It came back with a happy, cheerful voice. I hated talking computers. "Call me Gus. I'm afraid this door can only be opened by executive order."

"Oh. Forget it." Only the sonic stuttered and stopped while trying to scan the door. "Oh. Now the stupid sonic screwdriver's not working."

"What? What do you mean, it's not working? Why?"

It just got shoved back into his pocket. "I don't know. Some sort of a suppression field, I would guess. And it has to be a guess because, as I say, the stupid sonic screwdriver's not working. What are you even doing in there?"

Clara sounded pretty miffed that she was herself. "Well, I was looking for you and Gee, Mister Nothing To Worry About."

He rolled his eyes as I tried to hack the broken lock. "What, was I supposed to wake you up? Drag you out of bed because I had a hunch? I thought you didn't want to do this any more, it's why I took Gee instead of you." I thought you did that because I was closer and you were lazy, to be honest.

"Look, look, please, can we just not do this now? I think we might not be alone in here." Her voice lowered a little. "There's a sarcophagus."

"Is it in there?" I asked desperately, fearful for my best friend.

She sounded scared all of a sudden. "I think we might just be about to find out. Turns out the sonic is working." What? No it wasn't. "Just not on the door we need."

The lights flickered then, the Doctor quickly grabbing me and keeping me close to him. "Clara, it's coming." And helped me to work on the lock.

"Doctor?" And then she seemed to laugh a little in relief. "Doctor, Gee, it's okay. It's er, it's full of bubble wrap."

"But the lights?"

Only we were now being interrupted. "Doctor, Miss Georgia, move away from the door."

I wasn't scared of the gun he was pointing at us, so I just stood my ground. "Our friend's inside."

He wasn't bothered. "Then they're in trouble, too. I spoke to Head Office. There is no mystery shopper. You're not even on the passenger list."

"Clara, we're going to have to call you back." And then the Doctor got handcuffed as I somehow managed to keep getting free of mine the moment they were on. Easy. "You know, we're going to have to mark you down for this."

"You are not mystery shoppers. For all I know, you're the one behind the killings."

Not a chance. I fought my demons, the voice in my head. I didn't want to hurt people. "Oh, come on, Captain. How many people have to die before you stop looking the other way?"

At which point someone started to shoot at something only he could see in the lounge, making us all run to look at him as glasses on the table got broken. Pity, they were nice glasses. "What do you think you're doing, man?" He was begging for someone to help him. "Get up, man. That's an order!" Only then he just died, one of the other doctor men shaking his head as he felt for a pulse. "It turns out it's three. The amount of people that had to die before I stopped looking the other way."

So I just broke the Doctor's cuffs as well. "Thank you, Georgia."

"Same as the others?" Perkins asked, the others taking away their dead colleague.

"Ladies and gentlemen, could I have a moment of your time, please?" The Doctor asked, getting the passengers attention. "There's a monster on this train that can only be seen by those about to die. If you do see it, you will have exactly sixty six seconds left in which to live. But that isn't even the strangest thing. Do you know what is? You. The passengers. Experts in alien biology, mythology, physics, especially my friend Georgia here. If I was putting together a team to analyse this thing, I'd pick you. And I think somebody has. Someone of immense power and influence has orchestrated this whole trip. Someone who I have no doubt is listening to us right now. So, are you going to step out from behind the curtain and give us our orders?"

There was silence for a moment, before I realised something. It was far too quiet all of a sudden. "The engines. They've stopped." In a flurry of electronic activity, the 1920s railway carriage decor was replaced by a high-tech laboratory. "What use are scientists without a lab?"

A large number of people disappeared, making Perkins look at us curiously. "Teleporter?"

I'd have been able to taste that. "No. Hard light holograms. They were never really here. Fake passengers to make up the numbers. I knew that there was a reason the noise didn't bother me, it should have been too loud for me here."

"That was my best guard."

A noise came from a monitor then, the thumbs up icon on a monitor replaced by a monocle. "Good morning, everyone. Around the room you will find a variety of scientific equipment. Your goal is to ascertain the Foretold's true nature, probe for weaknesses with a view to capture, after which we will reverse engineer its abilities. Isn't this exciting?"

"You said capture, implying that you can't control this thing." The Doctor told the person talking through Gus the computer. "And yet somehow you got it on board. How?"

"There is an artefact, an ancient scroll. I have highlighted it for your convenience." It lit up on the wall. "For reasons currently unknown, the Foretold appears in the vicinity of this artefact."

It had cuneiform writing on it, which was interesting as that was really marks made in moist clay, not painted on papyrus or fabric. "And kills at regular intervals."

"Then just maybe we should throw this thing out in the airlock." I didn't even bother trying to stop him before he was shocked.

"Looks like they've thought of that."

"What if we say no?" Moorhouse asked, looking rather annoyed. "Down tools. Refuse to work."

Gus didn't sound bothered. "That is your choice, of course. But it would be very upsetting were you all to die at the hands of the Foretold."

Perkins seemed to know how this was going to work. "So hurry up, before it kills you."

"But even if they agree to this, how are they supposed to study a creature that they can't even see? We don't even know what the species is." The lights flickered. "Georgia, start the clock."

Which was a stopwatch that he handed me, before Moorhouse started to talk. "Approximately one point eight metres tall. Actually, seeing it in the flesh isn't nearly as rewarding as I thought it might be."

Jesus... "Oh, dear. Hard cheese. What can you see? Details."

"Yes. Yes, of course, of course. Uh Well, it just looks like er, a man in bandages. I-"

That really narrowed it down, didn't it? "What kind of bandages? Old? New?"

"Old."

"Whole? Ragged?"

The man was trembling in fear. "Ragged. Falling off in places. I don't know what you want me to tell you."

The Doctor was starting to get angry. "Listen to me! You can see this thing. We can't. Tell us what you can see. Even the smallest detail might help save the next one."

Oh, see, Gee? No one really matters to him. He lets people down all the time, just lets them go when he's bored.

I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the voice in my head as Moorhouse sounded worse. "The next one? You mean you can't save me?"

My mouth started to move without me, that harsher, meaner voice coming through again. "Well, that is implied, isn't it? This is probably the end for you. But make it count. Details, now."

"Er, flesh. Some of it is visible" Well, it was dead. "Er, leathery. Ancient looking. Peat bog preserved."

"Keep talking. Don't waste this chance."

"I want to bargain for my life." You were seriously going to do that, you stupid idiot? There was only 25 seconds left! "Well, it says, some of the myths say if you, if you find the right word, if you make the right offer, then it lets you go."

Even the Doctor looked annoyed as I tried to stop it, to count and focus on that one little rhythm to stop the voice, to stop myself being a bad person. I was not a bad person, I was not a bad person... "This is not a myth. This is real. Forget your superstitions. Tell us what you can see."

Only he was determined to live, even if it meant the rest of us could die. "This is my life, my death. I'm going to fight for it how I want. Er, I give you-" The last ten seconds of your life? "My soul. I confess all sins. I give you all my worldly goods. Only, please, please, please. No!"

And then as the clock hit zero, he just fell dead to the ground.

"We apologise for any distress you may have just experienced. Grief counselling is available on request." Wow. Because when any one of us could die, that was really what we wanted to hear. "On the bright side, I'm sure you've all collected a lot of data. Well done, everyone!"

"It's recording every death."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Of course it is. That's why we're here. To study our own demise. So let's get to work. Come on. Chop, chop." So handed out lab coats, before we all got to work. Then Clara phoned us. "Clara Oswald."

"Okay. So, first things first. The sarcophagus is actually a secure stasis unit."

Made sense. "Yes. It's where they want us to put the Foretold if we capture it."

"Well, that would have been good to know." Fair point. But now we were being told to stop our phone call. "We have some paperwork. Passenger manifests from other ships. Maisie recognised a couple of the names. These are missing ships."

"So, we're not the first."

Clara made a noise of agreement. "No." We were told to stop the call again. "I've got some progress reports. The Gloriana spent three days getting picked off by the Foretold. All died. Performance marked as poor. The Valiant Heart. Forty two crew, four died. Performance, promising."

Gus told us to do it once again. "Please terminate the call and return to work."

Quell pointed out the window as I stared. Jesus... "I think you should do as it says."

Because the catering staff and equipment were floating past the window. "Clara, we have to go."

And he hung up as Gus started to talk again. "I'm sorry. I know that must have been distressing for you. But if you are disobedient again, I will decompress another area containing less valuable passengers."

"Less valuable passengers?" I questioned, wondering how that worked. Actually, how did any of this work? "How does it choose?"

"Well, I'm assuming qualifications"

I shook my head, sitting down at a terminal. "No, no, no. Not the computer, the Foretold. How does it choose who to kill? We've assumed it's random. What if it's not? I want full histories on all the victims. Medical, social, personal. I only got biographies last time."

"Well done."

"Shut up." I told the computer, wanting to try and stop thinking about whoever it was in my head.

And found nothing, same as Perkins. "Doesn't seem to be any pattern. Their travel history, interests, health. It's all over the shop. Health?"

The Doctor frowned at him. "Health? Are you sure? Mrs Pitt, the first victim. She was over a hundred years old. The frailest passenger on board."

"Oh but the next to go, the chef, was young and fit. It's random."

"The chef was ill." Now we all looked at Quell. "A rare blood disorder. Not contagious, but we kept it quiet."

Obviously. Quite glad I didn't eat anything, actually, we'd discovered that my immune system was appalling. "Because he worked with food. The next one, the guard?"

He shrugged. "He wasn't ill as such, but he did have synthetic lungs implanted last year."

"Professor Moorhouse. It seems he was physically fine but suffering from, here we are." Perkins found his medical file too. "Regular panic attacks after a car crash last year."

"It's picking off the weakest first. Sensing the illness somehow." Excuse me. Um, mental illnesses like total amnesia and a form of Dissociative Identity Disorder??? "The fake organs, even psychological issues. But this is good news, because it means we can work out who is next. I want the medical records of everybody alive who is still on board. If anyone's had as much as a cold, I want to know about it."

Both Quell and I were in trouble. "You really think it can sense psychological issues?"

The man who was supposed to be helping nodded. "It seems so. Why?"

"When you said I'd lost the stomach for a fight, I wasn't wounded in battle as such, but. My unit was bombed. I was the sole survivor. Not a scratch on me. But post-traumatic stress. Nightmares. Still can't sleep without pills."

I put my hand up as well. "Doctor, my amnesia. The voice. DID and whatever else is wrong with me."

That threw him a little, before he shook his head, focussing on Quell. "Which means that you are probably next. Which is good to know."

"Well, not for me."

"Well, of course not for you, because you're going to die." And what if it was me? "But I mean for us, from a research point of view."

He got a glare. "You know, for a doctor, your bedside manner leaves-"

Only the lights flickered. "Well, there's goes our head start. Perkins, start the clock." It wasn't me, I couldn't see it. "What can you see?"

Captain Quell looked at the far end of the carriage. "Almost feels out of focus. Gives me a headache just looking at it."

And for some reason pulled out his gun. "Oh no, no, no, no. That didn't work before."

"What kind of soldier would I be, dying with bullets in my gun?" Then shot a flask as we were told 50 seconds. "Someone shut that man up! For the record, it didn't even flinch."

"Where is it now?"

Too close for comfort. "Approximately twenty feet in front of me and closing."

"Forty seconds."

The Doctor stood in the middle of the carriage. "Am I close?"

"It's passing right through you, like a ghost."

With the tablet I was holding, I scanned it. "Not a hologram. Whatever it is, it's a solid apparition to no one but Quell. If you move, will it follow?"

The man briefly looked at me. "Do you want me to move? Because I can certainly do that."

"Keep looking at it, but back off quick as you like."

Only it was prepared for that. "It's teleported away. It's behind me."

"Twenty seconds."

So he resigned himself to die. "I think this is it. Still, suppose it's not a bad way to go. Blood pumping, enemy at the gates and all that. And thank you, Doctor, Miss Georgia, for waking me up. It's reaching for me. Hands on my head."

Now he was gone too as the clock hit zero.

"Teleporter. That means tech. Then sixty six seconds to do what? Sixty six seconds. That seems very, very specific. Too specific for organic." The Doctor rambled as I just sat down, tapping on my leg again with my fingers, trying to stay calm when it was most likely wanted me next. "So, what, more tech? What? More? A countdown clock? Something charging?"

"A man just died in front of us." Perkins snapped. "Can we not just have a moment?"

He shook his head emphatically. "No. No, no, no. We can't do that. We can't mourn. People with guns to their heads, they cannot mourn. We do not have time to mourn. Everybody, what takes sixty six seconds to charge up or to change state? Anyone? Am I surrounded by idiots? If only I could see this thing."

How the hell would that help?! "Don't even joke about that. Doctor, don't!"

"I'm not joking about it." He shot back at me. "One minute with me and this thing, it would be over!"

"You know, Doctor, I can't tell if you're a genius or just incredibly arrogant. At least your daughter here seems to think like a normal person." Yeah, I might, but what about the woman in my head?

The Doctor just shrugged. "Well, ah, on a good day, I'm both. Ancient tech. This thing has been around for centuries. How? Tech that keeps it alive. Tech that drains energy from the living. Scanner." I handed it to him so he could use it on Quells corpse before it was thrown back. I'd only ever looked at the bodies of those I hadn't known before, but I'd been talking to him, I got to know him. He was dead... "Deep tissue scan. He's been leached of almost all energy on a cellular level. The heart attack is just a, is just a side effect."

Perkins rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's not just a mummy, it's a vampire. Metaphorically speaking."

"But why take sixty six seconds to drain us? Why not just pounce?"

Electromagnetic physics... "Phase. Moving energy out of phase. That takes about a minute, doesn't it?"

"That's why only the victims can see it. It takes them out of phase so it can drain their energy. You, little Miss, are a genius! This explains everything! Apart from what it is and how it's doing it. Sorry, I jumped the gun there with the you're a genius, that explains everything remark."

At which point Perkins found something else. "Doctor, I think we know the next victim."

And showed him Maisie. "Ah, of course. What makes perfect sense."

Then phoned Clara, explaining things to her as I found some paper to sketch on. Going by what everyone had told us so far, it should have looked bloody terrifying. "Look, she's had a bad day. That's all."

"Clara, it doesn't care." He told her, looking over my shoulder to give me a thumbs up and then pinned it on the wall for the rest of us to see. "Her bad day, her bereavement, her little breakdown puts her squarely in its cross hairs. She's next." And what about me? When would I come in? "Every simulation we've run confirms it." What sims?

"Okay, but, but we're in here and, if we stay in here, that thing can't-"

If only. "This thing can teleport." I told her softly, my heart aching in my chest again. "We need her here. Even the computer agrees."

She sounded hesitant. "Okay, so you can save her? Right?"

"Of course not. Why would you think that? This is another chance to observe it in action."

"As it kills her."

It meant nothing to him. "Of course, as it kills her. If it happens in there, it'll be a waste, so bring her to us."

Clara sounded furious. "How? How exactly? She's never going to agree to this."

"Well, I don't know. Lie to her. Tell her I can save her. Whatever it takes to get her here." Then threw down the phone and walked away from it.

If he's prepared to just let her die, what does that mean about you, Gee? You should know, he doesn't care as long as he survives. As long as he lives, he doesn't care.

"Just shut up, shut up, shut up!" I screamed, lashing out at what was in front of me, a large monitor that was showing the monocle, knocking it off and just starting to destroy things. "Get out of my head, please, just shut up!"

"Gee! Georgia, Gee, it's OK!" The Doctor told me, wrapping his arms around me to stop me hitting others or hurting myself. "It's OK, it's OK, it's OK... I'm here, I've got you, Gee..."

I just broke down and started to sob, just wanting the voice in my head to stop, but I knew that it wouldn't. It was me, just stupid me, not enough without something pushing me to do things that were bad.

Then the doors opened, Clara and Maisie coming in. "We passed the TARDIS on the way here. Thought about getting inside, hiding, pulling the levers and hoping for the best. But we couldn't even get in. There was a forcefield around it."

"It's probably Gus trying to block our escape route."

"But how does he even know what it is?" She questioned, taking over with me as the Doctor started to scan Maisie. "Cos if he knows what it is, then he knows what you are."

He shrugged. "Well, he has tried to entice me here before. Free tickets, mysterious summons, he even phoned the TARDIS number. Do you know how difficult a number-"

Now Clara was furious, moving me behind her. "You knew. You knew this was no relaxing break. You knew this was dangerous."

"I didn't know." He insisted. "I certainly hoped."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Okay, this. You see, this. This is why I'm leaving you. This. Because you lied. You lied to me, again. And now you've made me lie. You've made me your accomplice, you've made Gee your accomplice even more!"

This confused the other blonde. "What? Sorry? When did you lie? Clara?"

"Maisie, I am, I am so sorry."

The lights flickered and everyone looked at Maisie, but I shook my head, backing away from the mummy. "Maisie, where is it?"

"I told you... I told you that it was going to be me..." I whispered, tapping faster as I felt my heart get worse, thudding so fast that it couldn't keep up with the rest of my body. "It's right there, Doctor..."

"Do we start the clock?"

I closed my eyes, trying to keep breathing and focus on the pattern before the Doctor was in front of me, holding my face. "Not yet. Georgia, focus. Focus. Focus! All of that is your loss, your trauma, your panic attacks, the pain of your heart and the voice." My breathing got impossible, taking in too many breaths, my head getting dizzy and things were spinning. "And now-" He pressed into my head and took it from me, all the problems in my mind, the mental trauma. "It's mine."

Jesus, what the hell did he just do?! "It's gone."

"No. No, it's not. Not for me. Cos now it thinks I'm you, Gee." Then pushed me aside to Clara again, who just wrapped her arms around me as we watched the Doctor stare at what I had previously been looking at. "Start the clock. Hello. I'm so pleased to finally see you. I'm the Doctor and I will be your victim this evening. Are you my mummy?" He was a bloody idiot... "But you can't hurt me until my time is up. I think. So are there magic words? Is there a way to stop you in your tracks? Oh, you really didn't like your gran, did you? There's something visible under the bandages. By the way, you're not just having panic attacks, Gee, your heart isn't strong enough to power your body..."

"My, my heart?" I asked, placing my hand over it again. "Oh..."

He was still talking, trying to work out what was happening. "Markings like the ones the scroll. A tattered piece of cloth attached to a length of wood that you will kill for." 30 seconds. "That doesn't sound like a scroll. That sounds like a flag! And if that sounds like a flag, if this is a flag, that means that you are a soldier, wounded in a forgotten war thousands of years ago. But they've worked on you, haven't they, son? They've filled you full of kit. State of the art phase camouflage, personal teleporter." 10 seconds. "And all that tech inside you, it just won't let you die, will it? It won't let the war end. It just won't let you stop until the war is over. We surrender."

Zero.

"I can see it again. Jesus, Doctor..."

The mummy stepped back from the Doctor and lowered its arms, Clara rubbing my arm comfortingly. "It's okay. I think we all can, Gee."

Perkins was a little lost. "Do I start the clock?"

"No." The Doctor told him before the mummy saluted him. "The clock has stopped. You're relieved, soldier."

And it disintegrated into a pile of dust and old bandages. "Phew. He's not the only one."

The Doctor then stooped to pick up a piece of blue tech with wires from the remains. "We were fighting that?"

"So was he."

"Listen, what I said-"

He just interrupted her. "Save it. We're not out of the woods yet. Well, Gus, I think we solved your little puzzle. Ancient soldier being driven by malfunctioning tech."

He came back right away, even though I'd destroyed his monitor. "Thank you so much for your efforts. They are greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, survivors of this exercise are not required."

"Ah, well, there's a shocker."

Suddenly there was no air, my heart worse than normal as I struggled to breathe, too little air instead of too much this time. "Air will now be removed from the entire train. We hope you have enjoyed your journey on the Orient Express."

"I take it you know a way out?"

"My enemy's enemy is my friend. Especially when he has a built in teleporter." Hurry up and use it then! "A little more work. Couple of minutes. Max. I'll give you a shout."

My vision darkened and I hit the ground, Clara following suit a moment after. Always too slow, Gee...

When I woke up again, I was wrapped in a blanket with Clara, cuddled together on a pebble beach. The Doctor was back in his dark blue suit sans tie and was scratching at the little visible sand with a stick, doing his Gallifreyan maths. "Oh hello, again. Sleep well? I had your heart hooked up to the sonic, made sure you're safe."

But... What? "Weren't we just on a train?"

"Oh, that was ages ago." Ok... "Oh, and we got off the train. Oh, well, the teleporter worked eventually. Beamed everyone into the TARDIS. No casualties, just a bevy of sleeping beauties, like Clara next to you." Right... "I tried hacking Gus from the TARDIS, find out who set this all up. He really didn't like that. Set off some fail-safe thing. Blew up the train." You had to be kidding me. "But we got away. Then I dropped everyone off at the nearest civilised planet, which happened to be here." The pretty city behind us. "You both seemed happy asleep so I just left you."

Clara was waking up now as I rubbed my head. "So you saved everyone."

He shook his head. "No, I just saved you two and I let everyone else suffocate. Ha, ha, ha." That wasn't even funny. "Yeah, this is just my cover story."

My best friend was up now, looking right at him. "So, when you lied to Maisie, when you made me lie to Maisie-"

"I couldn't risk Gus finding out my plan and stopping me. I didn't think they'd register Gee, she's barely human, I didn't expect it."

"So you were pretending to be heartless."

The Doctor just looked at her as she wrapped an arm around me. "Would you like to think that about me? Would that make it easier? I didn't know if I could save her, or you, Gee. I couldn't save Quell, I couldn't save Moorhouse. There was a good chance that she'd die too, same with Gee. At which point, I would have just moved onto the next, and the next, until I beat it. Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones. But you still have to choose."

We went back into the TARDIS then, Perkins having a look at the time rotor. "Er, it's er, quite a vehicle you have here, Doctor. I won't pretend to understand half of it. Having said that, I did notice you've got a couple of drive stacks need replacing."

"Oh, you did, did you?"

"Yeah. You should get someone in. And a job like that takes forever." That was a definite hint.

He got a smile from the Doctor. "Really? Well, I suppose, whoever I did get in, it might just be easier to have them stay on board for a while. I don't suppose you'd know of anyone?"

But the engineer just shook his head. "No. Sorry, Doctor, but I don't think I do. That job could er, change a man."

"Yes, it does." He agreed, Clara looking at them both with a knowing gleam in her eyes. "Frequently."

"Well, I won't keep you." The Doctor nodded, keeping an arm around me now, as Clara wandered off with her phone. "Goodbye, Perkins. Good to meet you."

They shook hands then. "You too, Doctor. And er, good luck. Miss Georgia, I hope your heart holds out."

He tipped his hat to Clara before leaving. "Do you love it?" This confused him. "I know it's scary and difficult, but do you love being the man making the impossible choice?"

"Why would I? I almost cost Gee her life, I didn't even notice her heart palpitations. It's my life."

"Doesn't have to be. Is it like an addiction?"

With a small look at me and then the console, he shrugged. "You can't really tell if something's an addiction till you try and give it up."

Clara didn't take her eyes off him. "And you never have."

"Let me know how it goes."

Then she went off into the gallery to answer her phone, before coming down looking conflicted. "Was that Danny? What did he want?"

"He's fine with it." What? "Danny. He's fine with the idea of me and you knocking about. It was his idea that we stop but, he's decided he doesn't mind and neither do I. Oh, to hell with the last hurrah. Let's keep going."

"That's a big change of heart."

She shrugged a little. "Yeah, they happen." You were lying. Definitely lying. "Look, as long as you get me home safe and on time, everything is great. I am so sorry. I've had a wobble. It's a big wobble, but it's fine. Forget about it. Now, shut up and give me some planets."

I could see how happy the Doctor was with the idea though. "Well, I'm glad that you said that, because you know that one that's made entirely of shrubs. Are you sure about this?"

But Clara had the perfect come back as I kept the blanket around me, wanting the comfort of the soft material as I heard whispering in the back of my head, the woman trying to talk to me again. She was not getting in my head, I would not let her... "Are you? Have you ever been sure?" He shook his head. "Then what are you waiting for? Let's go."


	11. Chapter Eleven

**The Doctor:**

"You taken the pills I gave you?" I asked Gee as she came into the console room, yawning as she handed me a mug of tea. "Your heart could get worse if you don't take them."

She nodded, showing me that there were two less on the little strip of beta blockers. "I took them. It's fine, really. I've felt a lot better since taking them, and the anti-psychotics you gave me. I was going insane, really."

I nodded and smiled at her a little, glad that she was alright. Well, more alright that about to have chronic heart failure and have a psychotic break from her identity disorder. "You'll be fine. Your brain just wasn't working as it should, probably trying to compromise for a lack of memories, Gee." Then paused as I heard a knock on the door. "Excuse me a moment."

So I opened it and found that there was a schoolgirl outside, about 40 but tiny. "I'm lost. Please, can you help me?"

"It's that way." I pointed to the nearest police station, before going to go inside again. Only there was a giant forest outside instead. "Are those trees?"

"I need the Doctor and Miss Georgia. Are you the Doctor?"

Funnily enough, yes. "Yes. Do you have an appointment? You need an appointment to see the Doctor." I told her as Gee came to the door behind me, giving the girl a smile.

"Please. Something's chasing me."

That was something I couldn't ever say no to, and let her inside so she gasped. Meaning I had to do the explanation. I loved the explanation. "When you drink a glass of Coke, it's only this big, but it's actually got this much sugar in it. It works a bit like that."

She just looked at me as Gee sat down to eat her breakfast. "What does?"

Was this girl not paying attention? "The TARDIS. It's bigger on the inside than the outside, or did you not notice?"

The girl followed me up to the gallery, where I picked up and unfolded a street map of London. "I just thought it was supposed to be bigger on the inside, so I didn't say anything."

"Well, of course it's supposed to be bigger." I told her with a frown. "Most people are confused by that."

"I find everything confusing, nearly. So, I don't say anything." You should always ask if you're confused, otherwise you're never going to stop being confused. "That's how come I'm in the woods. I thought Miss Oswald told me to find the Doctor and Georgia. But it wasn't her. It was just in my head."

Finally, something that made sense. "Miss Oswald? Dark hair? Highly unpredictable? Surprisingly round face? Looks like a darker version of Gee over there?"

"Everyone says she's in love with Mister Pink."

"The PE teacher."

She shook her head. "Maths. I really like him. I was in his group."

"Mister Pink was looking after you? Well, that explains why you're lost."

"Doctor, Danny is my friend as well, remember." Gee pointed out, taking the map off of me and took the girl by the hand back down to the console. "It doesn't surprise you that we know all about your school?"

The girl just shrugged. "Everyone seems to know everything about everything, apart from me.

"That's not quite true. I, for instance, have no idea why, when the terrestrial navigation-" I shot Gee a look and she stopped her touching the console. "The terrestrial navigation starts up, it closes down all the other systems."

"You should ask somebody who knows."

If only I could. Only I also had the problem of knowing I'd stolen the TARDIS, so chances are they wouldn't me. "Hmm. That's another of the drawbacks of being the last of your species. No one to ask when your TARDIS won't start. Georgia, keep her away from the console please." The nav lady told me we'd reached the destination. Sod that. "No, we haven't. We're supposed to be in the middle of London." She said it again. "Oh, stop saying that!"

Tiny Girl Person got my attention. "She's only saying it because it's true. We are in the middle of London."

Gee shook her head, playing with the TARDIS key around her neck. She lost things rather a lot. "We are in the middle of a forest."

"Come and see." And took both our hands and lead us outside, my friend not letting go of her Sport Direct mug. I accidentally knocked it over once and it was like there was a flood. She drank three of those a day. "Nelson's Column. Do you like it?"

We were both staring in shock at the city of London, now full of trees. "Do we. Sorry, what?"

"Do you like the forest being in Trafalgar Square?" She asked again. "I think it's lovely."

This, this was alarming. But then I also had the teacher to deal with as she called me. "You're always showing me amazing things. Well, I, Doctor, have finally got something amazing to show you."

Chances were, I'd probably already found out. "Yes, well, there are some things I've never seen, but that's usually because I've chosen not to see them. Even my incredibly long life is too short for Les Miserables, I won't even let Gee watch it."

"Oh, Doctor." Clara laughed. "You and Georgia are going to love this."

"Well, when you come to collect this child, you can tell us then."

And apparently she hadn't even noticed one was missing. "Huh? What child?"

I glanced at where Gee had started a mini art class with her, drawing the trees. Both had golden sunlight dappled through them, but Gee often had quite a dark art style. "Young female human. Standard defenceless little girl. Your friend Mister Pink was supposed to be looking after her. Georgia is sat with her, they're enjoying a little R&R time."

"She probably has a name."

"Maebh." Gee told me, overhearing the conversation. "Her names Maebh. She's fine, Clara, we're drawing."

This alarmed her even so. I could be trusted with a child, I had two of my own and I looked after Gee half the time. "What? Maebh? Where are you?"

In the middle of a forest, hadn't you noticed? "Trafalgar Square. We found her wandering around the brand new forest."

"Brand new forest?"

"Yes. It's like the New Forest, except even newer."

She sounded disheartened that she wasn't telling me something new. "Is that the forest that's covering London?"

Well, I beat you to it, Clara. "Was that the amazing thing you were going to show me? It is amazing, but we saw it first."

"Look, is she all right?" Oh, now you were concerned about the small human. "Will you bring her over?"

Excuse me, this was your job, not mine. "No, we can't bring her over. I'm a Time Lord, not a childminder. Georgia is keeping her occupied, but she's probably not the best person to, you've seen her recently."

Gee stuck her tongue out at me. "Meanie. Like you said, I'm fine as long as I take the meds."

"You've got a spaceship." Clara pointed out. "All we've got are Oyster cards."

Spaceship wasn't working properly, and it wasn't my fault your kid wandered off. "And we've got a global rapid afforestation crisis to deal with." And hung up on her before looking at Pixie and Weird. "Outside. Come on."

They got up and followed me, Gee wrapping her jacket around herself as we listened to what Maebh was watching on her phone. The Prime Minister was attempting to keep everyone calm, like that was going to happen. "We are therefore asking you to stay in your homes. Fill your baths, sinks, and any buckets with fresh water."

"Why would there be no reading?" I frowned, looking at the sonic. "Because they are actually made of wood. No circuits. No mechanism. Wood."

"What's this for?"

Gee smiled at the girl. "That is a sonic screwdriver. It interacts with any form of communication you care to mention. Sadly, trees have no moving parts and don't communicate."

She just looked at the both of us. "They communicate a bit, though." What was the small human talking about now? "Otherwise they wouldn't all grow at the same time, would they."

"So, what, do you think that's how spring begins?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes at her. "With a group message on Tree Facebook? Do you think they send texts to each other?"

Maebh shook her head. "You don't need a phone to communicate, do you. I haven't phoned home, and I know my mum is worried about me."

Well, she was a mum. Mums were always worried. My daughters mum, who had also been her second father as well, was perpetually worried. But eventually the rest of the humans turned up, Gee having been climbing one of the trees. For science, apparently. "Look, sir. No rings. Trees usually have rings to tell you how old they are. This one's got no rings. Why's that then, sir?"

"The rings mark the years of growth." Gee told her, jumping lightly down out of the tree. "One ring for each year. This grew up overnight. That whole tree is the result of just one night's growth, and they're still growing."

"Everyone, this is the Doctor, and this is Miss Georgia, but you can call her Gee, and they're going to sort everything out." Clara told her class. "Isn't that right, Doctor? It's what he does."

You had far too much faith in me. "Well, having looked at things, I think, probably, the answer to that is no."

That made her a little desperate. "He always says that. He's really clever."

"Oh, yes, I am. Very clever." I agreed. "But what use is clever against trees? They don't listen to reason. You can't plead with them. You can't lie to them. They have no moving parts, no circuits. This is a natural event."

PE started to talk again. Who said he could come? "How can it be natural for a tree to grow in one night?"

"Exactly what they said about the Ice Age. How can whole glaciers just pop up out of nowhere? Well, they just did. That's how this planet grows - a series of catastrophes. Farewell to the Ice Age. Welcome to the Tree Age. Possibly. When the Ice Age was here, you lot managed to cook mammoth. Now there's a forest, you'll just have to eat nuts."

One of the kids put his hand up. "I can't eat nuts. I've got an allergy."

Clara was getting worse, wanting me to fix everything. "Don't worry. It's a thing he does. He pretends he's not interested and then he has an idea. He's playing for time. Right Gee?"

Gee shrugged, still drinking her tea. Then she seemed to realise something. "A tree is a time machine. You plant a little acorn in 1795, and in the year 2016, there's an oak tree, there, in the same spot, with a tiny little bit of 1795 still alive inside of it. You can't create an overnight forest with extra special fertiliser. You have to mess with the fabric of time. And communicate with trees."

So she ran into the TARDIS, getting followed by the rest of us, even the children. "So you're saying it's an act of aggression?"

"By trees?"

Peppa Pig interjected now. "Er, trees clean the air."

"Exactly. Well done, Ruby." No, her name was Peppa Pig, get it right. "Someone or something who's trying to scrub the atmosphere before colonising or invading." I was now staring at the kids that were treating my home as a climbing frame. "Ah, yes, Doctor, Gee. Ahem. This is Coal Hill Year Eight Gifted and Talented Group."

"What are the round bits for?"

None of your damn business. "Ask your teacher. Come on! Down from there! Hey! Away from the console. Come on. That's an antique. Get away from there! Don't touch that!" They were literally playing with everything. "Haven't any of you been struck by the fact that it's, look, it's bigger on the inside?"

Peppa shrugged. "There wasn't a forest. Then there was a forest. Nothing surprises us anymore."

"These trees all appeared at once. That wasn't a coincidence." Gee told everyone, her hair getting tied up in a ponytail. "There's no such thing as an arboreal coincidence. Something, someone has coordinated this. To coordinate, you need to communicate. Every communication channel on the TARDIS is open, and nothing. I can't hear anything either, and I normally can." Only then grabbed something from Danny. "Where's Maebh?"

She was gone, before Peppa started to be a drama queen. "Oh, my God. Maebh's gone. Maebh's lost in the forest. Maebh's going to die!"

Clara shot the girl a look. "Ruby, that's enough! Doctor? Gee?"

"We've got to find her!"

"Yes, I know that we have to find her. Doctor, listen to me. Her sister went missing last year." Clara told us softly. "She's on medication. The child is barely functioning. She hears voices. She's very vulnerable."

Yeah? Gee knew the feeling, it took a lot to stop her heart and the voices. "What do the voices say?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. She takes tablets and they stop. Like Gee, only less psychotic."

I rolled my eyes at the two 'adults' in the room. "You people. You never learn. If a child is speaking, listen to it."

"Oh, like you listened to her?"

Turns on the scanner, it shows a large solar prominence flaring off. Bugger. "He's right. She was trying to tell us something and I ignored her. Maebh Arden is tuned to a different channel, even different to Georgia's. She can lead us to the source, to the heart of the forest. We have to listen to her. We have to find her."

I got stared at. "Not everything can be fixed with a screwdriver. It's not a magic wand."

Excuse you, it pretty much was. "Does she have a phone?" Clara agreed resentfully. "Have you got the number?" Another agreement so I sonicked her phone to get a location. "Maebh Arden. Five hundred yards south east of here. We'll go get her."

"I'll go with them."

Only they started arguing, so we snuck out before I rushed back in. These kids were not being left alone in here. "Hey! Do not. Touch. Anything. Anything. H-h-okay?" And headed out again, Clara following us this time. "Gifted and talented? Really?"

"Furious, fearful, tongue-tied." She shrugged. "They're all superpowers if you use them properly. Are they going to be all right?"

"They're in the TARDIS, the safest place on the planet."

Another rumble sounded around us, the three of us looking up to see Horatio falling towards them. We threw ourselves forward, the statue just missing as I kept myself in front of Gee. Who was staring in awe at the new forest around her. "If this is an invasion... "It's over. They're here, they've won. What do they want?"

Then we started to walk again, getting lost in the forest as we tried to follow Maebhs signs. "Doctor? Gee? Look behind us. The path we just walked down. It's overgrown already."

I was more concerned that her phone was here. "Clara!"

"Why would she put her phone down?"

Lots of possibilities. None of them overly nice, but there were a lot of possibilities. "Doesn't want to be followed? Lost a hold of it in a struggle? Left it as a clue, so we would know where she was going? Trail of breadcrumbs. Hansel and Gretel."

"I'm actually frightened. I never get frightened." Clara whispered, looking around for her student. "Why am I frightened?"

"You just lost a little girl."

She nodded as Gee hugged her arms around herself. "Yes, that is a worry, but I know you'll find her. No, no, no. This is not a worry, this is a dread. Maebh!"

This was honestly turning onto the Pentamerone. "You're pursuing a little lost girl through a mysterious forest. The path has disappeared. You find yourself with a strangely compelling masculine figure, and a girl with a mysterious history and a curse. Maebh!"

"Any minute now we're going to find a gingerbread cottage with a cannibal witch inside." Georgia agreed. "Maebh!"

You literally just read my mind. "Exactly. The forest. It's in all the stories that kept you awake at night. The forest is mankind's nightmare." And then we found her pencil case. "Clara. Is it hers?"

The teacher nodded, her eyes wide in fear. "Yes. Clever girl."

She strode past a bus stop, pushed aside a branch and was confronted by a hazmat suit. "Get back! We're burning here. Stay back." We tried to tell them what we were doing. "Stay back. We're about to burn." And put a flamethrower to work on a small tree. "Good job!" But without the flamethrower feeding them, the flames slowly went out. "What's going on? Trees aren't responding to flame-thrower. I mean, they don't catch fire. They just don't catch. It's like they're flame proof or something."

So I pulled both the girls on, worriedly thinking about what this meant. "Trees control the oxygen on this planet. They withhold it, they smother the fire. What sort of forest is clever? What sort of forest has its own in-built fire extinguisher?"

"What do they want?"

"Why now?" Gee asked as well. "The whole natural order is turning against this planet. But why? Why now?" Then answered her own question by taking out the drawings that Maebh had done with her earlier and her schoolbook. "How did she know this? This is a massive solar flare headed for Earth, like the one that destroyed the Bank of Karabraxos."

That was not possible. "I've got an entire TARDIS and I didn't notice this. But she knew. How?"

Only now Clara was getting distracted. "This is Maebh's. Where did you get this?"

"You left your marking in the TARDIS." Gee shrugged. "You asked me to help, remember?"

"Oh, great, right, well, that's just brilliant, isn't it. You don't think Danny saw this, do you?"

Really? Really Clara? "Georgia has just informed you that a solar flare is going to wipe out your planet. You're worried about a row with your boyfriend. How did she know this? She even put the date on it!"

Clara just looked at me. "I always make them date their homework."

"It's today's date."

"Well, there must be a way?"

Yes, well, there usually was. "They want something. They're saying something. If there is a way, the way is Maebh Arden."

She was now getting sarcastic. "Okay, you know they're not really gifted and talented, don't you? I just tell them that to make them feel good." I had worked that out, Clara.

But at the same time, I knew why they'd use her. Knew how it felt to want something back so much that the idea of it not actually being there hurt. "She's lost someone. People who've lost someone, they're always listening, always looking, always hoping. So, they notice more. They hear more."

Only we fell silent as there was a noise that sent shivers down our spines. "Was that a howl?" A second animal replied. "Was that a wolf? No. That is impossible. We're in London."

"Would that be the London with the zoo? The zoo with the pack of wolves? The zoo whose barriers and gates have probably been mangled by the trees?" Gee replied, a knowing look in her eyes. "No, wolves are not impossible. Stick to the path, Red Riding Hood."

"There is no path." Exactly.

The pack howled as one, signalling a hunt. "Then we're lunch."

There was a scream alongside it then, so we started to run towards it, finding Maebh on the other side of a gated fence, her teacher worried yet relieved by her. "Maebh! Doctor Gee, give me a boost so I can pull her over. Maebh? Maebh!"

Only she just ran through a nearby gate like a normal person would, so I grabbed her to talk. "Maebh. You came looking for me and Miss Georgia. You didn't-" She started to wave her hands around, swatting invisibly midges. "Maebh, Maebh, you didn't just stumble into the TARDIS. Tell us what you know." Clara tried to interrupt. "This is important."

"Yes. Can we please deal with the wolves first?"

"These are zoo wolves. They're not even used to hunting." Only all three then bared teeth in a snarl. "All right, okay. We've just got to look as if we're too much bother to eat, right? So, stay still. Stay together. Look big. Look big like a big four-headed, eight-legged scary thing!" The wolves jumped over the fence and ran away, whining. "Ha ha! Told you they were rubbish. Those wolves are terrified."

Clara just looked at me. "What are wolves frightened of?"

A deep throaty growl answered the question, a large cat with the sort of stripes that made it almost invisible in dense woodland. It walked up to the fence and roared, showing off its magnificent canine teeth. "There are very good solid scientific reasons for being really quite frightened just now."

Then before I could stop her, Gee walked towards it and her eyes turned darker, the air feeling like jelly. "You will stop!" It paused before her, looking hesitant. "We are not food! You are going to leave us now! Go!" And it did.

Mind control...

But before I could talk to her about it, the rest of the Gifted and Talented group showed up. "Mister Pink!"

"Just decided it was best not to leave you alone with him. Even though Gee is fairly normal." An amnesiac pixie with chronic heart failure, a voice in her head trying to make her do bad things, and now mind control? Something told me that wasn't what qualified as normal. "They've worked well together. Noticeable increase in confidence and energy levels."

Maebh was waving her arms again, making me look at her curiously. "Well done."

"Er, has she had her medication yet?"

Clara shook her head, but I was not shutting this girl up right now.N"o, no. Not her medication. We don't want to shut her up. We want to know what she knows. Maebh, what's the. Maebh, what is this? What is this?" I imitated the waving as Georgia got down to her level. Her eyes, they were back to their normal cornflower blue, but there was something about them, something that I'd never seen before. Her mind might not remember her life, but her body did.

Danny glared at me. "Apart from being almost savaged by a tiger and abducted by a Scotsman, she's allowed any nervous tics she likes, okay?"

Abducted? What? No! She found us! "This is not a nervous tic. This is react-"

Peppa Pig was also here, and getting unnecessarily hysterical. "Please! Just give her her tablets. She's been in a state since her sister went missing." Then Maebh ran off again, everyone going through the gate after her again. "You won't find your sister out there."

We caught up with her at an area with cobweb festooned small trees around a clearing, with two deckchairs and a Union Flag in the background. The low sun through the trees was beautiful, if a little alarming. "Miss? What is it, miss?"

"It's coming. It's coming for everyone, and I can't unthink it."

Georgia took her hand tenderly, much kinder than others who had her... Afflictions. "Maebh. Maebh, this forest is communicating. With you. Nobody else. No technology can hear what it's saying, but you can. Tell us what it wants. Where it came from. Can you tell me who did this?" She was adamant that it was her. "No, Maebh. You didn't make a global forest appear overnight. How could you do that?"

"Thoughts come to me. Ever since Annabel went missing, I look for her everywhere." Poor thing... "I don't find her, but I find thoughts. The big forest was one. I thought everyone would love it. The thoughts! The thoughts! They go so fast."

One of the kids shook his head. "This is stressing me now. When I get stressed, I forget my anger management."

"Maebh, can you see something that we can't see?"

The girl nodded a little. "Nearly. Too fast. Everywhere."

Hmmm. "Everything's subject to gravity. If I can create a little local increase-" And did it even with Danny telling me not to. Please, last time you told me not to do something, you nearly lets the Blitzer kill you.

But around Maebh's head, there was little golden lights, again like the drawings she and Gee had done. The the invisible midges she was trying to bat away with her hands. "They're lovely! They don't like it when you're holding them. They want you to let them go."

"Who are they?"

Then they spoke together, a thousand voices through just one small little girl. No one deserved the pain of having everyones voices in their head. "We are Here. Here, always, since the beginning and until the end."

"Here? That's it?" Gee asked softly, playing with the end of her ponytail.

"We are the green shoots that grow between the cracks, the grass that grows over the mass graves. After your wars are over, we will still be Here. We are the life that prevails."

They were the nature that always fought back for the planet that they helped to create. Nice little bit of unknown mythology. "Why now? Why are you here now?"

Here was still talking through her, slightly broken as they struggled. "We hear the call and we come, as we came before to the great North Forest, where we lie still in a great circle. As we came to the vast Southern Forest."

Maebh may have been strong, but she wasn't that strong. "Who is calling you now?"

"The sun that creates. The sun that destroys." Solar flares... "You are hurting us. Let us go."

"You sent for me. The girl came looking for me and Georgia." I demanded. "Why? Why us?"

"We did not send. Pain. Did not send for you. We don't know you. We were here before you and will be here after you."

I turned off the sonic, before Maebh fell, letting Gee catch her and hold her as the girl just clung. Two of a kind, both looking for something they had no idea how to find. A sister and a past. "Maebh, you came looking for the Doctor and Miss Georgia. Think. Who sent you for the Doctor and Miss Georgia?"

She shook her head. "It was just a thought. It was just a thought that came. I think it came from Miss." Clara. Of course. "They've gone. Why does everything have to go?"

Georgia stayed to comfort her, talking to the girl softly, before Clara came to talk to me at the edge of the circle. "This really is going to happen, isn't it?"

"Stars implode. Planets grow cold." I shrugged, biting at my nail. "Catastrophe is the metabolism of the universe. I can fight monsters. I can't fight physics."

"Why would trees want to kill us?" She frowned. "We love trees."

Gee looked over at us. "You've been chopping them down for furniture for centuries. If that's love, no wonder they're calling down fire from the heavens, Clara."

Teach was getting very confused. "But we saw the future. Lots of futures. Earth's futures."

Time could be re-written. "They're about to be erased."

"If you can't save them all, save who you can." She nodded. "The TARDIS. It's a lifeboat, isn't it? Not everybody has to die."

Sure. You wanted this lot safe, that was easy. And back to the TARDIS we went, Danny leading the kids like they were American GI's. They were kids, not soldiers. But the TARDIS was under ivy, so them working as a team sure helped because they got it off in quick time.

But then Clara stopped at looked at us. "When they're done, you need to get in your box and go."

"We're all going." Gee frowned, still holding Maebh's hand before ushering her off to talk to her friends. "We're taking the kids."

"Taking them where? What are you going do with them? Leave them on an asteroid? Find a space academy for the gifted and talented?" There were places. Places that had human colonies, or at least close. "They just want their mums and dads, and they're never going to stop wanting them."

Please, please, not you... "I can save you and Danny."

She shook her head. "Danny Pink will never leave those kids so long as he is breathing."

The door was uncovered, the children cheering. "I can save you. Please, Georgia won't want to leave without you."

"I don't want you to."

Georgia stared at her, one of the only two people she really knew, who looked after her. "What, you don't want to live?"

"Of course I want to live. I just-" I looked at her hard. "Don't make me say it." I had no idea what she was going to say. "I don't want to be the last of my kind."

Clara... "Then why did you bring us all here?"

She shrugged. "Because it's the only way to get you back to the TARDIS, make you think you're saving someone. Well, you know what, Doctor? This time, the human race is saving you, and I know that you would never leave Georgia here, not with her father still out there somewhere." And unlocked the TARDIS door. "Make it worthwhile."

I've made so many mistakes, so, so many concerning you, just let me save you, it wasn't hair... "This is my world, too. I walk your earth, I breathe your air."

"And on behalf of this world, you're very welcome." She nodded, fighting back tears herself. "Now, go. Save the next one, and save Georgia."

So Gee closed her eyes, before tapping on her leg again, then looked at the girl she'd bonded with. "Maebh! I'm sorry that I couldn't help you."

"You helped me loads. I thought it was all my fault. I feel much better now. Are you going to get rid of the forest?"

"Hard to get rid of a flame-proof forest, Maebh, eh? Come on." Clara laughed, as I snuck into the TARDIS with her.

Georgia didn't understand as well as I did after I sat her down on the chair with yet more tea and then her next dose of tablets. I'd have to change them, I couldn't let her walk around with something like what she did. I saw what it did to someone else I cared about. "Take those, keep calm for a bit. You get hyped up, it won't help."

She nodded at me, taking them all like a champ before sniffing. "Is, is that going to be the last time I ever see her? Are these memories the only ones I'll have of her?"

I didn't say anything about that, not wanting to upset her before I managed to think of a way to stop her, to save Clara and everyone else. But mostly Clara. "Flame-proof forest. Flame-proof forest." Wait... "A thousand atom bombs and no one hurt. I am Doctor Idiot!" And grabbed my assistant's hand and dragged her with me as I ran after Clara again. How stupid could one man be?! "Clara! Come back here! Come back!"

"Doctor, slow down, my chest!" Gee wheezed, struggling to keep up with me. "Please!"

Luckily we'd caught up by this point, meaning I could shepherd them back to the TARDIS. "Clara! Mister Pink! Maebh! All of you! Quick, quick! Come back. Come back. Come on." And the kids all ran with us back to Trafalgar. "Maebh, quick. Good girl, good girl. Come on."

I sat them down on the steps to the gallery, Gee out of breath as she leant on the console, but I was busy with my lesson. "It's there on the screen, look. Big solar flare headed this way. A thousand kilometres a second. Coronal mass ejection. Geomagnetic storm. It's huge. It's brewing up a solar wind big enough to blow this whole planet away." I was greeted by blank faces. "I assumed your teachers have mentioned this?"

"I thought it would spoil an otherwise enjoyable walk."

"Okay. Okay. Well, this is the bad news." I told them, brushing right over that part. "The good news is, it's happened before. And you're still here. The Tunguska Blast, 1908. That should have blown the whole planet off its axis, but it didn't. It knocked a few trees over. Well, a few tens of thousands of trees over. Curuca in Brazil. Same story. Earth should have been smashed, but it wasn't. What do these things have in common?"

Peppa was the only one to speak. "They're really, really scaring us?"

"Trees." Gee realising, nodding with me. "Whenever there's a planet-threatening, extra-terrestrial impact, trees. Massive forest, filling the atmosphere with oxygen. Pumping it up like a massive, highly inflammable airbag, so that when trouble hits the impact burns off the excess oxygen. You have some fairly hectic weather for a few days and some fairly trippy looking sunsets, but apart from that, you will be all right. We were wrong. The trees are not your enemy. They're your shield. They've been saving you since for ever. Protecting you from everything that space can throw at you."

"The wide ring. The red ring." Clara, what were you talking about? "In the museum, Ruby saw a cross-section of a tree. One of the rings was wider than the others, and red."

Made sense, really. Or was that just making sense to Gee and me? "Atmospheric dust, captured by the trees. The fingerprint of an asteroid. Happy Red Ring Day."

Again, the only one to speak was Peppa the Pig. "I don't get it. If they're good, then why are we chopping them down?"

PE had to clarify for me. "The Government are sending out defoliating teams. They're dropping chemicals on them right now."

"What is it with you people? You hear voices, you want to shut them up."

"Are you forgetting how you'e helping me stop the psychopathic one in my head, Doctor?"

"Gee, shut up." She stuck her tongue out at me. "The trees come to save you, you want to chop them down."

Clara gave me a knowing look. "Or you think you need to save the world when it's already saving itself."

OK, that was a fair point and well made, but you shut up too. "I did admit that I was wrong." Then found what I was looking for on the sonic. "Excellent. Mobile networks are still operative. Right. We are going to call everyone on Earth and tell them to leave the trees alone."

"Can I do it?" Maebh asked, putting her hand up timidly. "I started it. I should finish it."

Like that plan, as long as it got done. "Okay. Okay. Class project. Save the Earth."

So the children sprawled on the floor by the console, making suggestions while Maebh wrote out her script as I put an arm around Gee's shoulder. "You're good with kids."

"No, I'm good at saving people. Kids included."

She sighed, but didn't say anything further before they finished. So, I flicked a switch and let her address the world. "Essential services have been disrupted due to an unexpected forest. We'd like to reassure you that the situation will be rectified very soon. Please don't be scared. And please don't chop, spray or harm the trees. They're here to help. Be less scared. Be more trusting." Then thought of an afternote. "Oh, and Annabel Arden, please come home."

I ended the transmission and looked at them with what I hoped was an excited smile on my face. What I think I ended up with, however, was scary stickman. "Okay, who would like to witness a once in a billion years solar event at close quarters?"

"Mum! There's my mum!" Maebh beamed, looking at the woman who was coming up to the TARDIS.

They had a joyful reunion outside, her mother terrified that she had gone the same as her other daughter had. If the Here were merciful, if they liked things as a natural order, they'd bring Annabel back to where she was supposed to be. "So, trip to space, anyone?" Only they all wanted their mums and dads too. "Tell them, Mister Pink, what an educational opportunity"

PE shook his head at his girlfriend. "You, you go. This. This is enough for me."

"What? Coronal ejections, geomagnetic storms." She smiled at him, wanting him to see her world for a while. "How often do you get a playlist like that?"

"I was a soldier. I put myself at risk. I didn't try too hard to survive, but somehow, here I am. And now I can see what I nearly lost. And it's enough. I don't want to see more things. I want to see the things in front of me more clearly." He replied softly, stroking her face lightly. "There are wonders here, Clara Oswald. Bradley saying please, that's a wonder. One person is more amazing, harder to understand, but more amazing than universes."

"Really? What person is that, then?"

Then they kissed as I groaned a bit, covering Georgia's eyes as the rest of them applauded and cheered. Well, that secret was well and truly out there.

They dropped off the kids at school with their parents, before Clara came up with us into the atmosphere. Which... I was actually still a little worried about and I knew that Gee was happy that she hadn't lost her best friend. "I hope I'm right. It would be slightly awkward if the world was destroyed at this point."

Which, obviously, upset her a little, before the flare reached the Earth, igniting the surplus oxygen as it flowed around. "There goes the planet-sized airbag. That's the trees, harvesting the solar fire."

"You don't have to explain it, Gee." I told her with a smile. "Just watch and enjoy."

"Ok." She smiled back, resting her head on Clara's shoulder.

After that, we parked in the girls living room, watching from the balcony as the trees dissolved into a load of golden sparkles, revealing the hidden buildings and roads. "That is amazing. How will they explain this tomorrow?"

"You'll all forget it ever happened."

The look we got off of Clara was one of pure sass. "We are not going to forget an overnight forest."

"You forgot the last time. You remembered the fear and you put it into fairy stories." I replied, having been there for the birth of most of them. "It's a human superpower, forgetting. If you remembered how things felt, you'd have stopped having wars. And stopped having babies."

"Forgetting." Gee sighed, shaking her head. "It's maybe sometimes as gift as well as a curse."

Oh, Georgia...


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Georgia:**

"You've got it all, just call him!" I laughed, thrusting her phone at her. "Clara, so help me, if you don't call him then I will!"

She shoved me away, looking at the array of post it notes we'd been working on all morning before hitting call. Danny answered on the 3rd ring. "Clara!"

"Shut up." Wow. Was that what a relationship was?

"Is that how we communicate now?"

Only now Clara had committed and she was going to get out what she had to say or else. "Shut up, shut up, shut up. I need to talk to you."

Danny was bemused by the rambling. "All right. Well, I'll be there in a couple of minutes, we're taking out Gee, so-"

The girl was very much in the zone. "No, no, Not while you're in the room."

"Oh, stupid me." He laughed. "The very idea."

"Shut up!" He agreed. "Stay shut up." And again. "Things to say. Not all of them good."

That was the sign for him that face to face was better. "Oh, wouldn't it be better if I was actually there? I can hear Georgia, why can't I be there?"

Clara sighed, wrapping an arm around me. "Oh, Danny, everything is better when you're here, but maybe..." She looked at all the post-its. PSI, Impossible Girl, Saibra, Vastra, Blinovitch, Robin Hood, Lying, Dinosaur in London, Gee the Amnesiac Pixie with Heart Failure and an evil voice in her head. "Maybe not this. Okay Er. Okay, before all of that. Before all of the stuff that I did wrong." And took down the post it that I wrote in capitals, with a little tattoo style heart of D+C=Forever. JUST SAY IT! "I love you."

"I love you."

"No, not like that. Not like it's automatic." Clara told him, pacing back and forth with me. "Not like it's how you end the phone call, the sign off, the pat on the back." He tried to interrupt. "Danny, I'll never say those words again. Not to anybody else, ever. Those words, from me, are yours now." Only there was no reply. "So, er. That's a thing." All we could hear was the road. "Okay, Danny? Er, there's more but that's kind of the headline. Okay, Danny, please speak to me, This is, this is killing me."

Still nothing, and I felt that little voice in the back of my head prick up. I lied to the Doctor too, told him that the voice was gone. She was still there, always there now. _He's gone night night now, Gee. You've got her all to yourself again now._

Closing my eyes, I desperately tried to stay calm in front of Clara, but knew that somehow she was right. But my best friend didn't know that. "Danny, I love you. And you are the last person who's ever going to hear me say that."

"Hello? Hello, is someone there?"

This confused her. "Hello? Er, yeah. Who's this?"

"I just picked up the phone, I'm sorry. I found it."

"Oh. Er, okay. Er, can you please just put me back on the phone to Danny?" Clara asked as I grabbed the house keys ready. "I was talking to Danny."

The woman on the other end was close to crying. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Clara didn't understand yet. "Okay, er, what are you sorry about? Could you please just pass the phone back to-"

Only she started to explain. "He was crossing the road. I found the phone, it must have just got thrown. The car, it just came out of nowhere. I'm so sorry."

My best friend then dropped her phone and we started to run, running fast to where police were taping off the scene. The voice was right, Danny fell unconscious after being hit, and just never woke up.

The school let her off work for as long as she needed, but she just sort of kept in her own head as I tried to keep everything else going. The entire flat was full of Calla Lilies and sympathy cards, as she stood in the kitchen staring at her phone, calling the Doctor. As she'd been for the last two days, since it happened. The funeral wasn't for another two days, and she was determined to get him here.

"You all right?" I asked, standing unsure in the doorway after her Gran left. Her Gran was amazing, always brought me a load of sudoku puzzles that she was stuck on. "Oh, of course you're not. Sorry. Of course you're not all right. You should cry. Let go." She just looked at me. "It's a terrible thing. Just a terrible, terrible thing. I'm sorry, I, I don't, I don't ever know what to say to this, my head, it, it just can't compute..."

"It wasn't terrible." I frowned at her, not sure what she was saying. "It was boring." What? I, I didn't... I didn't understand... "It was ordinary. People just kept walking with their iPods and their shopping bags. He was alive, and then he was dead and it was nothing. Like stepping off a bus."

That didn't matter, he was gone and it wasn't right. He shouldn't be gone. "He deserved better. And so did you."

Clara just shook her head. "I don't deserve anything. Nobody deserves anything. But we are owed better, Gee. We are owed."

Then the Doctor answered. "Clara! Clara? Gee, have you picked up the wrong phone again? I know they all look like, but really?"

"Hey!" Clara smiled, picking the phone up with a complete facade.

"Sorry, I was busy. What's happening?"

Her entire manner was the opposite of what it should have been. "Oh, nothing. You know, same old, same old."

"Well, you're only human." Humans died. Really easily, apparently. "So what I can do for you, Clara? Gee getting on your nerves?"

He came to pick us both up, as I somehow managed to follow along with whatever Clara was doing, planning on getting him to somehow save Danny. "Start her up."

"Where are we going?"

"Away." He wanted a little bit more info than that. "Just away."

The Doctor looked over at her from whatever he was fixing. "Well, normally you say work or kids or dishes or dullness. So what's happened?"

 _He hasn't even been paying attention, Gee._ The voice told me, making me rapidly tap on my leg, 1, 2, 3, 4, repeat. _What kind of friend doesn't check up on you, or have news alerts about people around you?_

"A volcano." Clara told him, snapping me out of it for a moment, before I realised she'd disappeared downstairs somewhere. "I've never seen an active volcano, do you know one?"

This was confusing him even more as I sat down. "What's so great about seeing a volcano? It's just a sort of leaky mountain. Gee? Georgia, what is it, what's happened?"

"I've never seen lava." My best friend continued as I just shrugged, trying hard to pretend that I was alright. Was it ever easy? To just come to terms with someone not being there?

"It's rubbish."

She smirked at him. "Prove it." And kept moving around the TARDIS, doing something as the Doctor kept looking between us. Like he could tell something was wrong, but he couldn't quite work it out. "Do you still have those sleep patch things?"

That was something that was shot down right away. "You can't have one."

Clara wasn't relenting. "I'm having trouble sleeping."

"You still can't have one."

"Can I have one?"

"No, you can't have one." He insisted as I closed my eyes again, tapping on my leg to try and keep my mind blank apart from that. "So, volcano. What's so good about lava?"

Only then I blacked out for a minute or so, because when I came to I was lying in a caldera with the Doctor, who was trying to protect me even in his sleep. Clara was standing in the smoke by the edge of the ledge, all the TARDIS keys in her hand. "Clara?"

"They're on your neck." She told us, the Doctor coming to as well, automatically putting an arm around me when he saw that I was trembling and scared. "You told me once what it would take to destroy a TARDIS key. That's what's so good about lava. All eight. From all of your hiding places, and I took yours from your neck, Gee."

She held one up as my hand went to my neck, finding no black cord holding the silver key. "Clara, what are you doing? Don't. Be very, very careful with that. Those are very, very-"

And then one was in the lava, her eyes not moving from us. "Do I have your attention?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"No." He replied. "Not good, Clara."

There was no emotion in her eyes. "Danny Pink."

The man just looked at her. "Yeah?"

Jesus, please, this, this... "He's dead."

"And?"

"Seriously?"

 _He doesn't care, Gee. I do. I care that he's dead. If you find me, I can make it all OK again._

I shook my head, the Doctor somehow unable to hear her when she was loud, she was so loud and she kept getting louder. "And fix it. Change it." Clara insisted. "Change what happened. Save him. Bring him back."

She held up another key. "No." And threw it.

"Six left. Every time you say no to me, I will throw another key down there. Do we understand each other?"

We both nodded, my fingers tapping on my leg again as I struggled to breathe once more. Jesus, my heart... "Well, I understand you. Let's not get carried away."

"Time can be rewritten."

"With precision. With great care. And not today." He nodded in agreement. "But you know that of course, otherwise you wouldn't be threatening me. You're threatening your best friend, she's terrified!"

Clara was just looking at him. "Did you just say no?"

His eyes were wide, terrified, and completely focussed. "If I change the events that brought you here, you will never come here and ask me to change those events. Paradox loop. The timeline disintegrates. Your timeline. And yes!" She repeated that last word. "Yes. I did just say no. Throw away the key."

"I have seen you change time, I have seen you break any rule you want."

"I know when I can, I know when I can't. Throw the key."

"I know what you're doing." She told him. "You're trying to take control."

No, because he couldn't do that. I could, alarmingly, I could be in total control and not in a nice way. "No, he's not. I'm in control. Throw away the key. Do as you are told."

"No!"

"Well, either you do as you're told or stop threatening us." I snapped, getting to my feet with a head that felt heavy and the air was hard to breathe, so hard. "There really isn't a third option here. What have I done, Clara? I've just tried to be your friend, that is all I have done, and I am sick of you treating me like, like a pet!"

 _Oh, you go girl. Let the anger fuel you, let it consume you and keep pushing._

Only there was one problem. Clara was really not scared of me. "Do you know what, Gee? When it comes to taking control, you really are out of your depth. Maybe you should remember that you don't know how to use that mind control power yet, eh?" And threw all but my key into the lava. "One last chance. And I don't care about the rules, I don't give a damn about paradoxes. Save Danny. Bring him back or I swear you will never step inside your TARDIS again. You'll never find your dad, Gee."

We spoke together as my entire body radiated anger. "No."

"Do as you are told."

"No."

"Say it again so I know you mean it."

I didn't care. I'd reached that point where I knew my memories just weren't going to come back and I'd never see my dad. "No!"

Clara was prepared to do it. Sod it. Sod all of it, I didn't care. "I'm not kidding, Doctor, Gee."

"Neither are we."

Her hand held the key up higher. "I will do it!"

"Clara, our Clara, I don't think you will!"

The last key followed her sisters into the lava. "Oh, I'd say I'm sorry but I'd do it again." Then dropped to her knees, sobbing. At the same time that the Doctor took something off my neck and we were suddenly back in the TARDIS. The keys on the floor. "I'd do it again. Well, what are you doing? Why are you just standing there? Do you understand what I have just done?"

The Doctor moved closer to her as I gently used the console to get up, my heart pounding worse than it ever had. "Look in your hand."

She shook her head. "There's nothing in my hand."

"Clara, look in your hand."

"The keys, they're gone." She sobbed as everything sort of flickered with me. "They're down there. They've gone."

He took her hand and opened it palm side up. "Clara, look in your hand."

"There's nothing in my hand."

 _Oh, she's a bit stupid, isn't she?_

 _ **Shut up. You're not real, just get out of my head, please.**_

 _Gee, sweet, dear little universe, I'm as real as you or him. You'll find me under the water, you'll find me in your dreams and you'll find me before this day is done._

Only then the Doctor and Clara were back properly, able to see what I was seeing, and Clara realised she'd been had. "They're not sleep patches. They induce a dream state. Makes you very suggestible." Then he went around to pick up all the keys, handing me my own that I hurriedly put around my neck, liking that cool comfort. "I allowed the whole scenario to play out just as you planned. I was curious about how far you would go, how you would react to angry Georgia."

"Well, now you know."

"Yeah. Now I know."

She was still half crumpled. "I love him."

The Doctor scanned her with the sonic, before making a weird face. "Yes, you're quite the mess of chemicals, aren't you? Almost as much as Gee when she's mad."

Clara wrapped her coat tighter around herself. "So, what now? What do we do now? You and me, what happens now? Doctor? Georgia?"

He shrugged, putting an arm around my shoulder as the TARDIS landed. "Go to hell."

"Fair enough. Absolutely fair enough."

Then walked to the door as we frowned at her. "Clara? You asked me what we're going to do. I told you. We're going to hell. Or wherever it is people go when they die. If there is anywhere. Wherever it is, we're going to go there and we're going to find Danny. And if it is in any way possible, we're going to bring him home. Almost every culture in the universe has some concept of an afterlife. I always meant to have a look around, see if I could find one."

"You're going to help me?"

"Well, why wouldn't we help you?" I asked, shaking a little. "You're my best friend."

"Because of what I just did. I just-"

He nodded a little. "You betrayed us. Betrayed our trust, you betrayed our friendship, you betrayed everything that I've ever stood for. You let us down!"

Her eyes were inflating again. "Then why are you helping me?"

"Why? Do you think we care for you so little that betraying us would make a difference?" Now he noticed her eyes as well. "Stop it with the eyes. Don't do that with the eyes. How do you do that anyway? It's like they inflate. Cut out the whining while you're at it. We've got work to do. This is it, Clara, Georgia, one of those moments. The darkest day. The blackest hour. Chin up, shoulders back. Let's see what we're made of, you two and I. Switching off the safeguards, turning off the nav-com. Remember, we did this before. We plugged you both into the TARDIS telepathic interface."

"We ended up all over Danny's timestream." And the Doctor's.

He nodded at her. "Because you and he are linked. Strongly linked. Your timestreams are intertwined. So if he's anywhere at all, that link will hold. Give me your hands."

Clara looked between the both of us. "Georgia, Doctor. I don't deserve friends like you."

"Clara, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm exactly what you deserve." Then put her hands into the orange part of the console again. "Think about Danny. Think about the man you lost. Let it hurt. Let it burn. But don't bleat. Don't ask, why him? Why me? Forget all that. Ask one question. Just one. Ask, where is Danny Pink now? Where is he now?" And after a few moments, the time rotor started up. "Well, the TARDIS thinks he's somewhere."

When we landed, we headed out of the TARDIS, making me look around. "Where are we?"

He shrugged. "Nav-com's offline. We'll have to do this old school."

"But this is where Danny is?"

The Doctor shook his head now. "Almost certainly not. It's where there's a connection with Danny. According to the TARDIS, this is where it's most likely that your timeline will re-intersect with his. And that won't do."

"What won't?"

"You won't. Either of you." Wait, what did I have to do with this? "Look at you two. I need sceptical, clever, critical. I don't need mopey, and I do not need shaky and hesitant. It put years on your faces. And what if people see us together? It looks like you've been melted."

This seemed to bemuse my best friend. "Are you forgetting why we're here? Gee has a heart issue and mental health."

He shrugged. "We're here to get your boyfriend back from the dead, and we're going to fix your heart after this, so buck up and give me some attitude, both of you."

The TARDIS had parked herself between two of four columns at the bottom of a set of steps leading up to a large urn on a plinth, which had an eternal flame burning in it. The place was dark, far too dark, and the Doctor shone a torch on an small obelisk with a Company logo on it in gold and the words Rest In Peace, We Promise carved into the granite. We looked up at ranks and ranks of glass fronted cubicles on three sides of the marble edifice. There was the sound of water nearby, making me wonder where the tanks ended and where the actual building began. "Fish tanks?"

"In a mausoleum?"

We went up the steps to the urn, its plinth also having the logo and motto on it. "What does that mean?"

"It means those are definitely not fish tanks." He replied before turning right at the urn to enter a gallery. Lined on the right hand side with floor to ceiling tanks, each containing a skeleton sitting on a chair. "They were placed, after death. These are tombs. Water tombs, some sort of fluid, anyway."

That was kinda alarming. "With chairs?"

"With chairs, yes. Extra comfort for the deceased. It pays to die rich."

"Oh, God. Am I going to find Danny now?" Clara asked, her hand going to her mouth. "Is that why the TARDIS brought us here? I don't want to see him like that."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. "Good point. Tombs with windows. Who wants to watch their loved ones rot? Why would anyone go to so much trouble just to keep watch on the dead?"

As we walked on, the Doctor finding a small book on a lectern. He opened his fingers across a blank page and a cube rose up out of it, making him push it into the corridor and open it. It displayed that two ring logo with 3W inside it while Bach's Air on a G String played softly. A voice spoke the words that then scrolled down. "3W. Death is not an end. But we can we help with that. Ever since 3W encountered the truth about the death experience, 'we have been working hard to find a better life for the deceased. At 3W, afterlife means aftercare."

Oh, Jesus, that voice... It was her, she was here, or at least they were using her voice... "Is it difficult?" I asked, trying to not let my voice tremble but it did. "Reading all those words back to front."

Then a woman came through the logo, making it disappear before her eyes fixed on the Doctor and I. "Hello. I hope you're well. How may I assist you with your death?"

"Well, there is, er, no immediate hurry." He replied quickly, pulling me back from her as I fixed my eyes on her. Please, please, please, don't be her, don't be her... "We're just, er. We're just-"

Clara came up quickly. "Browsing."

"Yeah, yeah, browsing."

"Please, take all the time you need. At 3W, you always have the rest of your life."

"Oh, good. That's good to know, Doctor, Clara, isn't it?" They both agreed with me as I kept my hand on my chest, feeling my heart going far too fast. "Exactly what is 3W?"

"Apologies. Clearly you have not received the official 3W greetings package."

The Doctor gave her a weak smile. "Well, you know, it's just an unexpected-"

Then she lunged at him, pushing him against the wall then kissing him very intently. The Doctor's eyes bulged and he grabbed at the wall, before she finished by kissing the tip of his nose three times, then she stepped back. "Welcome to the 3W Institute."

"Gee, Clara, is it over now?"

Nodding, I kept my eyes on her like she was about to attack me. "I think it's over, yeah."

"You also have not received the official welcome package."

"Oh, I'm good, thanks." Clara told her, putting a hand up as I stayed as far back as possible. "No worries."

I tried to form words in my mouth again. "Who are you?"

Her eyes fixed on me, making me feel both uncomfortable, and something that I'd never felt before, I didn't know how to put it into words, but... Xeno. The smallest measurable unit of connection. "I am Missy." Clara repeated it with a frown. "Mobile Intelligent Systems Interface. I am a multi-function, interactive welcome-droid. Helping you to help me to help you."

Which the Doctor could vouch for. "You're very er realistic."

"Tongues?"

"Shut up." Ew.

Missy was still looking right at me. "I am fully programmed with social interaction norms appropriate to a range of visitors. Please indicate if you'd like me to adjust my intimacy setting."

The Doctor peeled himself off the wall. "Oh, yes, please. Please do that. Do that now right now."

I nodded in agreement. "Maybe just a tad, yeah."

"I need to speak to whoever's in charge here."

"I am in charge."

He just looked at her. "Well, who's in charge of you?"

She was getting a little impossible. "I'm in charge of me."

"Well, who repairs you?" He asked again. "Who, who maintains you?"

"I am programmed for self-repair. I am maintained by my heart." Then Missy took his hand and placed it on, um, her, her lady lumps? "Is everything in order?"

This seemed to worry him quite a bit, unable to take his eyes off her. "Who maintains your heart?"

"My heart is maintained by the Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

Then she turned her head to the side to start bellowing. "Doctor Chang!"

She walked away from us, the Doctor not moving his hand as someone walked towards us. "Who's there? Hello?"

We greeted him before Clara shot our escort a look, the droid having wandered off someone. If, if she was a droid. "You can probably take your hand down now, Doctor."

"So. Hey. Condolences."

"Condolences?"

Dr Chang just shrugged. "It's a mausoleum. It's our hello. Is there a particular dead person you want to talk to?"

Clara nodded quickly. "Yes. Yes, there is."

"This way then."

"Are you okay?" I asked her as the Doctor followed him. She shook her head so I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Good. There would be something very wrong if you were."

Then followed after ourselves, going into a cushy looking office with their founder in another glass tank. "Come in, come in. Going to need to take a reading off you."

she looked at him worriedly for a moment. "A reading?"

"Won't hurt."

And flicked a switch before the Doctor pointed to the tank. "How does the body keep its integrity? Why isn't it just a bunch of bones floating about?"

"Each body is encased in a support exoskeleton."

"An invisible exoskeleton?"

Chang nodded in agreement. "It's only invisible in the water. There's a specially engineered refraction index in the fluid so we can see the tank resident unimpeded by the support mechanisms."

That really didn't make sense to me. "So each skeleton is inside something?"

"Are you serious? X-ray water?"

"It's so cool. Look at this. We call it dark water." He put his arm into a sample jar of it. His wrist watch and jacket sleeve vanished. "Only organic matter can be seen through it." Then took it back off to start drying it. "I keep saying they should use this stuff in swimming pools."

But... What? "Why?"

He kept looking at me. "Think about it."

Nope, still confused. "I am thinking about it. Why?"

"Doesn't matter." Clara told me quickly. "3W, what kind of name is that? What does it mean?"

"Well, you know, don't you?" He asked, making me frown at him. "You're here on business or they wouldn't have let you in. Sorry. Should have checked. Who are you?"

Which got the Doctor excited. "I thought that you would never ask. Sort out your security protocols, they're a disgrace." And got out the psychic paper.

Chang peered at it, before staring at him. "Another government inspection? So soon? Why is there all this swearing?"

He put it away quickly. "Oh, I've got a lot of internalised anger. What does 3W stand for?"

"Well, the three words."

Ugh, words. I hated words, they just kept going. Give me numbers any day. "What three words?"

"Seriously? You don't know?"

"Never mind what we know and what we don't know, just answer our question."

The man looked between us carefully, like we were about to go mad or rabid in front of him. "Because people who don't know, when they hear about this, they can freak out."

I dealt with Missy, I'd deal with this. "We're not going to freak out."

He was still hesitant. "If you've had a recent loss, this might be, this will be disturbing."

"She'll be fine."

Clara glared at him, her eyes wide once again. "Speak for me again, I'll detach something from you. I'll be fine."

"You know how people are scared of dying? Like, everybody." It was something to fear? I suppose, after sleeping for however long that I did... I knew sort of what to expect. Just... Darkness. "They'd be a lot more scared if they knew what it was really like." Then activated a see through screen on his desk. "White noise off the telly. We've all heard it. A few years ago, Doctor Skarosa, our founder, did something unexpected. He played that noise through a translation matrix of his own devising. This is a recording of what he heard."

A sound wave of multiple voices. "Okay, people, voices. So what?"

Chang kept looking at us. "Over time, Doctor Skarosa became convinced these were the voices of the recently departed. He believed it was a telepathic communication from the dead."

The Doctor just stared at him. "Why? Was he an idiot?"

"He was able to isolate some of the voices, hear what they were saying."

"So, an idiot then."

My best friend glared at him. "Shut up, Doctor."

The man kept talking. "What I'm about to play you will change your life and not for the better. These are the three words which caused Doctor Skarosa to set up institutes, like this one, all over the world, to protect the dead. If you'd rather not hear these words, there's still time"

"Can you just hurry up, please, or I'll hit you with my shoe." That was a bit violent. You'd have to unlace them, they were Doc Martens.

The voices were of people begging not to be cremated. "There is one simple, horrible possibility that has never occurred to anyone throughout human history."

"Don't say it."

"The dead remain conscious. The dead are fully aware of everything that is happening to them."

The Doctor shook his head with a furious quiver. "Fakery. All of it. It's a con, it's a racket!"

"I promise you this is not a con."

OK, please stop this annoying noise, it was doing my head in. "What's that beeping?"

"Never mind about beeping. Who cares about beeping? The dead are dead." That was a little close minded. "They're not talking to you out of your television sets. They're just gone and all these poor souls down there in these tanks, I'm sorry, but they're just dead and they're not coming back."

Chang had been manipulating something though, and then we heard a voice we never thought we would ever again. "Clara? Clara? Clara, are you there? Georgia? Are either of you there?"

"Danny! We can hear you. Is that you?" Clara cried, rushing to the monitor as I stared at it. What the hell was happening? "Oh, please, say it's you."

"That's her, that's Clara!"

Only then the connection dropped. "Just lost the signal. But I can track it back, I'm pretty sure."

Clara looked back at us. "I don't, I don't understand. What is happening?"

The man shrugged. "We've been scanning you, and your friend here, telepathically since you came in. You said you wanted to speak to someone who'd passed, and we've found you a match in the Nethersphere."

"This isn't possible." The Doctor snapped angrily. "The dead don't come back."

"It was him. It was his voice."

Even I knew how easily that could be faked. "If they scanned you or me telepathically, they could've lifted a voice print. It could still be a fake. With how blank my mind is, I remember everything in picture perfect, pitch clear detail. It wouldn't be hard."

"Getting him back, very nearly!"

Then the signal was back at 99%. "Clara, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Danny, I can hear you. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I can hear you." He agreed, sounding relieved. "Clara! Oh, God. Clara."

With a worried expression, she looked back at us. "What do I do?"

Danny was worried. "Who are you talking to?"

She told him to hang on for a moment as the Doctor put a hand on my shoulder. "Question him. Ask him questions only he'd know the answer to. Be sure. You two, with me."

"Where are you going?"

"We've got to check out those tanks." He told her firmly. "There's something that I'm missing." Danny asked for Clara again. "Sceptical and critical, remember? Be strong, even if it breaks your heart."

Chang looked at her. "Connection's stabilised. It should be okay."

The Doctor lead me out towards the doors, shaking his head. "Who would harvest dead bodies? I feel like I'm missing something obvious."

Only as we got back to the gallery, we found that the skeletons were standing, draining the liquid from their own tanks. "Oh, my God. The tanks The tanks are activating! They're not supposed to do that."

"And all your dead people are standing." I told him, my eyes fixing on where Missy was stood. "Don't you think you skipped the headline?"

"Now, now, children. Naughty, naughty."

"Doctor Chang, your welcome droid has developed a fault."

Obviously he knew what I did. You could hear her heart, there were two of them. "That was That's not a droid. That's my boss."

Missy beamed at us all. "You know, I might have been guilty of a just teensy little fibette. Doctorr Chang, I really liked working with you. I've enjoyed every day of it." He stared at her. "You know, I've even got a little photograph of you looking so sweet. I'm always going to keep it. Always!"

Chang started to shake as I didn't take my eyes off her, the woman who caused me to take my own life. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Now, come on. Let's not dwell on horrid things." She replied with a fake whimper and tremble in her voice. "This is going to be our last conversation, and I'm the one who's going to have to live with that."

"Please don't kill me."

She was holding some sort of interface device, with an energy weapon in the back instead of a camera. "Say something nice."

He of course started to beg. "Please, please. I don't, I don't want to die. You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"Say something nice." Chang was desperate. "Doctor Chang, I've got all day. And I'm not going to kill you until you say something nice."

Stupidly, he did just that. "It has been an absolute pleasure working with you, and I truly believe that you'll never be able to find it in your heart to murder me."

Then she just incinerated him with the energy weapon, The Doctor quickly pulling me behind him. "I'll be with you in just a moment. Just feeling a bit emotional at the moment."

He looked up at a tank and saw the water level dropping below the top of a skeleton's head, to reveal a silver metal helmet. "Cybermen! They're Cybermen, all of them. We've got to stop them getting out."

"Now who's missing the headline?" Missy laughed, rolling her eyes. "The Nethersphere. You know it's ever so funny, the people that live inside that think they've gone to heaven."

The Doctor looked up at the globe. "That's a matrix data-slice. A Gallifreyan hard drive. Time Lord technology."

"Imagine you could upload dying minds to that." She smiled darkly. "Edit them. Rearrange them. Get rid of all those boring emotions. Ready to be re-downloaded. Meanwhile, you upgrade the bodies. Upload the mind, upgrade the body. Cybermen from cyberspace. Now, why has no-one ever thought of that before?"

"How did you get hold of Time Lord technology? Who are you?"

This woman was sending shivers through me, making me tap faster and faster. "You know who I am. I told you. You felt it. Surely you did. I knew that dear little Gee knows, right?"

I nodded, backing away from her. "You're the woman from my nightmares, the woman that truly terrifies my every waking moment because you're in my head and I don't know how to get you out."

Which the Doctor somehow took as a half good thing. "You're a Time Lord."

"Time Lady, please, I'm old-fashioned."

"Which Time Lady?"

"The one you abandoned, Doctor. The one you left for dead, along with her. The girl you promised to protect only it was too late to do so when I found her. You abandoned her as well. Didn't you ever think I'd find my way back? To get revenge for her?"

No, no, no, no... "Clara. Clara. Clara. I've got to get Clara!" And I turned and ran back to the lift.

She rolled her eyes as we both tried to get the doors open. "Oh, Clara, Clara, Clara! You know I should shoot you in a jealous rage. Now, wouldn't that be sexy? I've turned the lift off, though."

Oh, my heart was going to hate me for this... "I presume you have stairs."

"Well, I'm not a Dalek, but you really should be careful, Gee." I ignored her and ran out with the Doctor as he sonicked it open. Only we ran out of St Pauls Cathedral. "Oh, dear, Doctor, Gee. Didn't you realise where you were?"

Church bells pealed as we looked down Ludgate Hill, a number 56 bus driving past. So the Doctor ran down the steps, getting worried for the passers by as I just sat down. They were here, Cybermen were nearly impossible to defeat when they were established, because they were efficient. "Get away from here! All of you, run!" The Cybermen stomped out of the Cathedral, Miss patting my arm with a smile before I shoved her off. Which made her look hurt for some reason. "Go! Go! Get away from here! Run away! Run, run! Get away from here all of you, now!"

But she just shook her head at the crowds of people. "I'm sorry, everyone. Another ranting Scotsman in the street. I had no idea there was a match on."

"Get away, go!"

"Stop shouting, love." She sighed. "Stop making a fuss. It's too late. All the graves of planet Earth are about to give birth. You know the key strategic weakness of the human race? The dead outnumber the living."

He grabbed me and pulled me behind him, knowing that she was dangerous. "Who are you? How do you know Gee, how are you in her head?"

Missy was just smiling like he should have already worked it out. "Oh, you know who I am. I'm Missy."

"Who's Missy?"

"Please, try to keep up." She rolled her eyes. "Short for Mistress. Well, I couldn't very well keep calling myself the Master, now could I?"


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**The Doctor:**

Of course it was her, the incarnation of a man that believed I wronged him. "Look at them! My boys."

"Cybermen in broad daylight?" Gee told her, her eyes hard again, like being close to the source of her anger was making it worse. She set this up, made it so I'd find her, but who was she? "You think people won't notice?"

They noticed, and out came the smart phones to take the photographs. Missy unpinned her hat and put it on the ground at a Cyberman's feet. "Photos with the big metal men, one pound." Several coins were thrown into her hat right away. Humans, brain dead sheep. "Oh, honey! New York. Paris. Rome. Marrakesh. Brisbane. Glasgow. Everywhere. Anywhere. Me and my boys. We're going viral."

She showed us on her steampunk style smart phone. Only a familiar face came over to us. "Would you like me to take a picture? Sorry, selfies are never as good, are they? And you're having a lovely moment. Hang on!"

Osgood snatched Missy's 'phone', giving Gee a chance to grab her arm and hold it tight. "No, just-"

"Nice bow tie."

"Bow ties are cool. Big smiles, and now!"

Weapons were taken from pushchairs and backpacks, soldiers coming out of the buildings on both sides. Once the scene was secure, another familiar blonde woman walked up holding something behind her back. "Afternoon. You've picked a lovely day for it. My, don't you look shiny." Then looked at me as Gee held Missy tight. "Haircut?"

Well. "Bit of a trim."

"Might want to do your roots. Your assistants a bit worrying." She'd been worrying me for a while. "The woman." Two soldiers took her from Gee, who came back to my side. "Kate Stewart. Divorcee, mother of two, keen gardener, outstanding bridge player. Also Chief Scientific Officer, Unified Intelligence Taskforce, who currently have you surrounded."

"Human weaponry is not effective against Cyber technology."

"Sorry, you left this behind on one of your previous attempts." Then threw down an old, battered Mondas head. "So now that I have your attention, welcome to the only planet in the universe where we get to say this. He's on the payroll."

Wait, what? That was news to me. "Am I?"

She shrugged. "Well, technically."

I wanted to know how much payment I was owed for this, I'd been on the job about 900 years. "How much?"

"Shush. Any questions?"

As one, the Cybermen thumped the blue disc in the middle of their chests and stamped their feet on the ground. Dust was blown everywhere as little engines in their feet started up, allowing them to zoom up into the air, and out of sight. Osgood turned around to see the lead covering of the dome of St Paul's peeling back like a Chocolate Orange. "Oh, my God! Is it supposed to do that? Is that new?"

Gee rolled her eyes. "A sun roof on Saint Paul's? Yes, I'd say that was new."

"There's going to be mass panic." Kate told us. "Everyone in London can see that."

More Cybermen flew out of the dome. "Everyone in London just clapped and went whee. Hush, I'm trying to count."

Which Osgood was also doing. "Eighty seven, I think. OCD."

"Ninety one."

We all looked at Gee and Missy, who spoke together before just Missy did. "Queen of evil. You could call her my protogé."

UNIT leader was now very lost. "How could Saint Paul's be full of ninety one Cybermen and nobody noticed?"

Because you didn't notice things? "Dimensional engineering. One space folded inside another. Bigger on the inside. Easy if you're a Time Lord."

"Mostly deploying south, a smaller number east."

"Yep, but one straight up."

My number one fan looked at me through her thick glasses. "So ninety one isn't a coincidence?"

"Of course it isn't."

Gee took the phone thing from Osgood, talking in a way that scared me. If Missy could easily be in her head while in the TARDIS, being a few meters away could make her ten times stronger. "Ninety one areas of significant population density in the British Isles. That's one Cyberman for every city and major town. It's happening everywhere, all over the world, right now. Now get out of my head!"

Missy just laughed at her slyly. "Sweet planet, this. I think I might keep it. And keep you dear little Gee."

"One Cyberman per city. What could they hope to accomplish?"

"Doctor!"

The Cyberman that flew straight up had detonated itself. "Has it exploded?"

Self proclaimed Queen of Evil rolled her eyes again. "More than that. Cybermen don't just blow themselves up for no good reason, dear. They're not human."

She'd been here a while, she had a plan, a plan that would be hard to beat. "If it's not exploding, what's it doing?"

"Pollinating." She replied. "Falling like rain into the cracks of the Earth. The dead are coming home, Doctor, Gee. All shiny and new. In twenty four hours the human race as you know it will cease to exist."

"What are you doing? Explain. Tell me now."

Only a soldier fired a dart into Missy's neck, then Gee's making them both crumple at the knees. "Oh! That was nice. Must do it again. Gee..."

"Doctor..."

I caught Georgia as she almost hit the ground, before a soldier took her from me. "No. No, no, no, no, I need to talk to her! I need her awake. I need them both awake!" At which point I got sedated as well. "Argh! No. No, no. Stupid. Stupid! No, no. Argh!"

Osgood leant over me as I started to black out. "You just have to let it take you."

So I pulled her close and told her the one thing that I'd worked out so far. Guard the graveyards.

When I came too again, I was leaning back on a box trolley before I moved off quickly, going for Kate who was stood next to Gee. Who was wearing a blindfold and handcuffs. "Kate? What's with the handcuffs? What the hell are you doing with Gee?"

"I'm sorry. In the event of an alien incursion on this scale, protocols are in place. Your co-operation is to be ensured and your unreliability assumed. You have a history. And the moment we woke her up, she went ever so slightly mad and used her eyes to make my men go AWOL. We're still picking them up."

Gee held her hands up. "Can you blame me? I mean, they weren't exactly nice. Doctor, please tell her I'm fine."

Honestly? I couldn't actually say that right now, not with the root cause of your... Affliction so close. "You don't have a future without me. Do you think your father would've done this?"

"We both know he absolutely would." A still unconscious Missy was wheeled in on her box trolley. "Who is she?"

"Long story. Where's Clara?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Clara Oswald, your assistant?"

Clara was far more than that to us both. "Our friend. She was with us in Saint Paul's."

"The team's still on site but they've been unable to gain access to the building."

"I want her found and brought here. We need her with us, Gee's good with her."

Kate just smiled at me as I gently lead Georgia up onto the steps. "Then give the order. As soon as you're on board Boat One your word is law. Quite literally."

We went up towards the airplane, the blue box being lowered inside of the UNIT vehicle. "You got the TARDIS out, though?"

"Yes, and Saint Paul's locked down."

The inside was plush, well designed with a long conference table, chairs, monitors etc. "Where are we going? Cloudbase?"

"You mean the Valiant?"

Osgood and Gee spoke together. When she wasn't having one of her moments, Gee would get on with her like a house on fire. So long as she didn't get told to set the house on fire, anyway. "Cloudbase was Thunderbirds."

"Too conspicuous." Kate explained. "We need your location concealed, not advertised. From now on you're a moving target."

Now I looked at a portrait of Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart on the bulkhead. "Ah, I see you're bringing Daddy along, too. That's very sweet." Now I had some random saluting me. "Oh, don't do that. You look like you're self-concussing, which would explain all of military history, now I think about it."

"He saluted, didn't he?"

Gee... I wanted to take the blindfold off, but I still hadn't found a way to stop the mind control. "Colonel Ahmed, sir. Privileged to meet you."

"Love your outfit, Colonel Ahmed." I smiled bitterly at him. "Are you in the Scouts? Are you a Man Scout? I didn't know they had those." I walked away to get a hot drink from the sideboard, before hearing what Ahmed said to the girls. Captain Scarlet, not Thunderbirds. Brilliant, I was stuck with nerds, might as well go to comic con. "My confidence is growing every minute."

Kate was using the phone to inform the cockpit of our status. "The President is on board."

Actually, a lack of confidence wasn't always a bad thing. "Mind you, me and Sylvia Anderson, you've never seen a foxtrot like it." Hold the phone... "Hang on a second. The President? We don't want Americans bobbing around the place. They'll only start praying."

"Not the President of America, sir. The President of Earth."

I'd now sat down to start putting a decent amount of sugar into my hot, frothy coffee. "There isn't one."

"There is now."

"The incursion protocols have been agreed internationally. In the event of full-scale invasion, an Earth President is inducted immediately, with complete authority over every nation state. There was only one practical candidate."

Seriously, humans. Brain dead sheep. "That's your answer for everything, isn't it? Vote for an idiot."

"If you say so, Mister President." Now Gee started to snicker, making me glare at her while also being in a state of pure shock. "So long as you're on this plane, you're the Commander in Chief of every army on Earth. Every world leader is currently awaiting your instructions. You are the Chief Executive Officer of the human race. Any questions?"

Only one, really. Why?!

But once we were in the air, and I'd told Georgia to behave, I went down to speak to the only other of my kind I knew was alive. "Why are you still alive?"

"You saved me."

No. I'd never save you, no matter what our history was. "I saved Gallifrey."

She shrugged. "Yes, Gallifrey too, I suppose. There's always collateral damage with you and me. It's our Paris. Or her."

"Gallifrey's lost in another dimension. She's gone."

"Yes and no."

Oh, this ought to be good. "Meaning?"

"Yes, it's in another dimension. No, it's not lost. Yes, she is gone, no she is not."

What the hell was she talking about? I checked, I made sure. "You know where it is? She made it out?"

Missy nodded with a smile. "Yep! You know the best part about knowing? Not telling you. But I'll give you this little hint. Trust her. No matter how much you don't want to."

"Why are you targeting her? Who is she, what does she-" Then I cut out, everything making sense. "No. No, no, you were never supposed to go near her, that's what we agreed, that's what you told me!"

"You left her, Doctor." Missy told me darkly, her eyes cold and hard now, no humour. "You promised her that you never would and that she'd always have someone. Libby, Tyler and Tiky, they were gone. She was alone, and I simply made it so she wasn't."

I shook my head, not believing her. "If it's her, if it is really, truly her, tell me how to get back her memories."

"Why would I do that?"

"Do you even remember her whole name? The full name that was on that birth certificate? Did she ever even exist to you before she was leverage on me?"

Her eyes fixed hard on mine. "Galaxy Kasterborous Solace Serenity Vivienne Minerva. I know her name, Doctor, don't ever think that I didn't know the name of your daughter."

"Mister President, sir, we're ready for you up here."

She wasn't getting anywhere near Gee. "Remember all those years when all you wanted to do was to rule the world? On my way." They responded to me. "Piece of cake."

Then I wandered over to see what Osgood was doing. "Oh, er, it's her little device thingy. I thought there might be useful information on it. Who is she?"

Complicated question. "You'd never believe me if I told you."

"Cos I thought she might be the Master, regenerated into female form?" She was good. Very good. "Your childhood friend, responsible for a number of previous incursions."

"That was fairly quick."

Osgood just shrugged. "We do have files on all our ex-prime ministers. She wasn't even the worst. Doctor, there's something nobody's talking about. The clouds caused by the exploding Cybermen, they haven't dispersed. They're still there. In fact, they've expanded and are covering almost all the land masses. We're all looking at the graveyards. Maybe we should be looking up? What do you think?"

I wanted this human/Zygon. "All of time and space?" She blinked at me. "Just something for your bucket list."

Then I started to climb up the ladder back to where I was summoned to. Which was to discuss how the localised rain in the cemeteries caused disturbances to the soil. Cybermen were coming out. "These scenes are being repeated everywhere. Every cemetery, every mortuary, every funeral home, every hospital, the dead are returning to life as Cybermen."

"Humankind, bring out your dead." Guns were aimed at Gee, making me quickly stand in front of her. My daughter... "Doctor, please tell them that I was just copying something that she said in my head earlier? I'm playing good from crying out loud!"

"Gee, love, probably best that you just keep quiet for a bit." I told her softly, sitting her down on a chair. "We need to have a chat after this, it's quite important."

Kate had found something then, making me look back over at her. Galaxy... "We've done heat scans of some of the cemeteries and, in each case only a handful of Cybermen have so far emerged. But every individual burial site is active."

Ahmed was confused. "Active?"

Gee shook her head. "Hatching."

"More are coming." Miss Stewart informed us. "Potentially millions."

Man Scout stared at us. "So the rain caused all that in just a few hours?"

"It wasn't rain, Man Scout." Georgia, Galaxy, explained, cuffed and blindfolded, but still trying to help. She was good, no matter what, Galaxy was good. She was my daughter. "It was pollen. Cyber-pollen. Every tiny particle of a Cyberman contains the plans to make another Cyberman. All it has to do is to make a contact with compatible living organic matter and bang! Full conversion. But if they have learned how to convert the dead. That's what she was doing. That's what 3W was for. She creates an all-new paranoia among the super-rich about dying. She exploits the wealth and the mortal remains of selected idiots so she can create a whole new race of Cybermen. Cybermen who can recruit corpses. Throw away your guns, Man Scout, it's all over. How can you win a war against an enemy that can weaponise the dead?"

"And how do you know all this?"

She shrugged. "She's not paying attention. My mind control, it's on the same frequency as hers, so I can push back and find things out. Not everything, but... Enough to give us some help."

The Man Scout was looking at another monitor. "They're not attacking, apart from isolated incidents. They're just wandering about."

Well, some of them had been dead for a good 1000 odd years, it might take a moment. "They're newborns. Give them time. Why were you there this morning? Why were you already attacking?"

"Been investigating 3W for a while, then we got a tip-off."

"From a woman with a Scottish accent."

Oh, Missy... "Can't play to the gallery unless there's a gallery, and here we are." The woman stuck her tongue out at the camera I was watching her through. "Dead bodies don't have minds, of course, but she's been upgrading dying minds to a hard drive for a long time. So she upgrades the hardware, and then she updates the software."

"What do you mean, a long time? How long?"

Not a clue, but she'd kept her safe from the war, when her mother died. Meant she had something Dalek's couldn't come into. "Well, she must have a TARDIS somewhere, so as long as she likes. The past, the future-" Kate wanted specifics. "How long has the human race had a concept of an afterlife? Turns out the afterlife is real, and it's emptying. Every graveyard on planet Earth is about to burst its banks."

And I started to pace backwards and forwards across the plane, making Kate get frustrated with me. "Mister President, you need to get back in your seat."

"I don't like being the president." I told her, taking a lily of the valley from its vase by the Brigadiers portrait. "People keep saluting. I'm never going to salute back."

"Do you know, that was always my dad's big ambition, to get you to salute him just once."

My best friend, one of the oldest and longest. I'd been there when Kate was born. "He should've asked."

Galaxy realised that I was stood next to her, looking blindly at me as I stared out the window. "Doctor, what are you looking at?"

"The clouds." I replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Still there. So what else have they got?" A silver face appeared at the porthole, making us all jump besides Gee. "There's a Cyberman out there on the fuselage. But on the plus side, it's not turbulence." Only then I saw that she wasn't there in the lab. "She's out. Who let her out? Galaxy!"

"What? Who?" Gee asked, getting frustrated with her current situation. "Sod it. I'm the best fighter you've got!"

Then broke the cuffs and took off the blindfold. She could have done that the whole time, but I didn't question it and pulled her with me down the ladder. To find Osgood's broken glasses. "Oh, she was really scared. It's classic." Missy laughed demurely, coming out from behind the TARDIS. "Have you got any more friends I can play with?"

Gee moved in front of me with a hard expression on her face. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Oh, and why is that, dear little universe?" She asked, still laughing, enjoying the bumpy ride. "Ask me! Come on, you know you want to. You want to know what my plan is. You'll be surprised. I've got a gift for you both. You know, I've been up and down your timeline, meeting all those silly people who died to keep you alive. I saved her, no matter what that little nightmare tells you, I did nothing but care for you. And you know what I worked out? What you really need."

"For what?"

Her eyes glinted darkly. "To know that you're just like me!" The TARDIS phone started to ring. "Oh, and now it begins. Doctor, I do believe you're on call. Miss Oswald expects. Who else but the girl who's got your number? Whoops!"

No, no, no, no, all this time we spent together, right back at the beginning when there was WiFi soup, and the Spoonheads! "It was you!"

She put on a cockney accent. "Computer helpline, love. That's the one. Best helpline in the universe."

"You put us together."

"I kept you together."

The advert in the paper. "Why? Why would you do any of this? You left her where you knew I would find her."

That smile was really starting to bug me. "Cos she's perfect, innit? The control freak and the man who should never be controlled. You'd go to hell if she asked. And she would. Her place is with you, you know that. You, and me. The phone's ringing, Doctor. Can you hear that? Now that is the sound of your chain being yanked. Heel, Doctor!" Now she imitated Clara. "Help me, Doctor. Help me. Help me, Doctor."

I answered the phone as Gee kept looking at her, utterly confused as to why Missy targeted her. Well, she was leverage. "Clara?"

"Doctor, Georgia. With Danny."

"Danny's dead, Clara." Gee told her.

Clara sounded terrified, and full of so much pain. "Not yet. Not quite. But he wants to be."

That was almost impossible without the right weapons. "Clara. Clara?"

"He's a Cyberman." She told us, tears obviously close to falling. "Doctor, Danny's a Cyberman and he's crying. Doctor, he feels it. He's crying."

Oh, no, no, no. "Clara, don't do it. Just don't do it!"

"It's in his chest. He says it's an inhibitor. It can delete emotion or something."

Gee took the phone and moved it between the both of us. "I know what it does. If you turn it on he'll become a Cyberman. I've seen them before, don't ask me how, but I know them."

"He's already a Cyberman."

Until he was trying to upgrade you, no he wasn't. "Not yet, he isn't."

My daughters best friend was desperate for help. "He's hurting because I hurt him and he wants it to stop."

Galaxy pressed her hand to her chest as I realised her heart could give out at any moment. "Stop the pain and he'll kill you!"

"Look, are you going to help me, because I can't do this alone."

"We're not going to help you commit suicide."

"Look, the TARDIS can home in on this call, right?" She snapped, obviously wanting her answer and nothing else. "Either you help me, or you leave me alone."

"Clara? Clara, no-" And there was no reply as she must have thrown away the phone.

Kate then slid down the ladder into the hold, stumbling as the plane shuddered. "Doctor! The Cybermen are in. The plane's going down."

Missy beamed at her. "Oh, great. It's the daughter one. Do you like her? I like her."

She grabbed onto a cargo strap as Missy made the airplane veer sharply, Gee and I grabbing another two. Then she opened the cargo hatch and Kate was sucked out, screaming. "Why did you do that? You didn't have to do that!" Galaxy screamed at her, closer than I was so Missy grabbed her. "Let go of my you psychopath!"

"Oh, don't be so selfish. I'm going to miss her, too. In fact, you know what? Just for that, I'm leaving, and you, young lady, you are having a time out." No, no, no, no! "Boys, blow up this plane and, I don't know, Belgium, yeah? Kill some Belgians. Might as well. They're not even French. Byeeee!"

Then teleported herself and my daughter away, leaving me hanging on for dear life. "Aaah! Aaah!" After the plane went, I was freefalling, just going down and down until I saw my target. So just unlocked the TARDIS in mid air and landed safely.

Just as Clara went to turn off Danny's emotions. "Clara, don't!"

The other Cybermen were standing around, watching and waiting for their new soldier as I ran over in the graveyard. "Help me."

"If you do what you're trying to do, if you succeed, he will snap you." She shook her head as I worried about what Missy was telling her. It wasn't her place to, it was mine. "Then he will step over your broken body and break another and another and another. He will never stop."

"I will not harm her, or harm Georgia."

She was probably better at harming you. "P E. P E. P E. I had a friend once. We ran together when I was little. And I thought we were the same. But when we grew up, we weren't. Now, she's trying to tear the world apart, and I can't run fast enough to hold it together, run fast enough to keep her from Gee. The difference is this." I put my hand on the chest disk. "Pain is a gift. Without the capacity for pain, we can't feel the hurt we inflict."

He looked at me, with heavy eyes that just looked so tired. All he wanted was to sleep. "Are you telling me seriously, for real, that you can?"

Pain was what made us mortal, fear was the natural state of everything that died, even Time Lords. "Of course I can."

"Then shame on you, Doctor."

"Yes. Oh, yes." The dark clouds rumbled overhead. "Danny, Danny, I need you to tell me. What are the clouds going to do? What is the plan?"

The shell of this man just shook his head. "How would I know?"

"You're part of a hive mind now." I explained. "Presumably that's how you found Clara. Just look."

"I can't see much." I told him to look harder and he took this as another way to prove my identity to his girlfriend. "Clara, watch this. This is who the Doctor is. Watch the blood-soaked old general in action. Where is Gee? Oh, right, you probably used her connection to this person so much she's unable to tell the difference." No, that wasn't it. Missy just wanted her. "I can't see properly, sir, because this needs activating." Oh, Danny... "If you want to know what's coming, you have to switch it on. And didn't all of those beautiful speeches just disappear in the face of a tactical advantage? Sir."

I sighed, looking down. "I need to know. I need to know."

He nodded at me. "Yes. Yes, you do."

Clara held out her hand to me. "Give me the screwdriver." You couldn't do that... "Just do it, Doctor. Do as you are told."

Only as I met Danny's eyes, I gave it to her. "Typical officer. Got to keep those hands clean."

Now I walked away, unable to face this. It was all my fault... "Just point and think, yeah?" I agreed. "Okay. I wasn't very good at it, but I did love you."

"I love you too."

"I'm never going to say that again."

He managed a weak shrug. "Me neither."

"Ready?" He agreed and she started to cry. "I feel like I'm killing you."

Danny didn't take his eyes off of her. "I'm already dead. You're here this time at least."

They said their goodbyes before she activated the screwdriver. Danny's face went blank and he straightened up, and she just ran to hug him. "Clara, no! Step away! He's activating! Clara, step away now! Don't." He didn't even react to her. "Danny. Danny, if you can hear me, if you're still there, what are the clouds going to do?"

"The rain will fall again. All humanity will die."

"And rise again as Cybermen."

The Cyberman that I used to know as Rupert Danny Pink didn't have any remorse over this. "Correct."

I had to put an end to this. "How do we stop it?"

"We cannot be stopped."

Missy beamed herself in as Mary Poppins now, floating gently to the ground under her umbrella, my daughter help fast in her other arm. "Oh, that was brilliant! Oh, I love the telly here, but did you see that? Gee, how good was that?" She just glared and tried to fight her way free. "Oh, Clara, you poor thing. You must feel like death. Let me pop away the pain."

She started to tap at her thingy, but Galaxy grabbed it and threw it away. "No! Don't you dare! Don't you think about it!"

"Oh, sorry, hon, I'm just getting a bit carried away." She laughed as I managed to pull Gee over to me. "It's your friends, they're so more-ish. Hmm? Oh, stop looking all cross-pants. I'm here to give you a gift. Could you at least try and be excited?"

"What gift?"

Then spoke into her bracelet. "Cyberdears!" The Cybermen came to attention and played her game of Simon Says. "Look at Mummy! Raise your arms. Lower your arms. Raise your right. Lower your right. Turn on the spot. There are exits at the front and rear of the aircraft. Please follow the lights up the aisle." They followed her every move. All but one, anyway. "You see, Doctor, Gee? The power to slaughter whole worlds at a time, then make them do a safety briefing. Everyone who ever lived, man, woman and child, is now at my command. An indestructible army to rage across the universe. The more they kill, the more they recruit." And wrapped her arms around Gee, who didn't really know what to do with that. "Happy birthday. Oh! You didn't know, did you? It's lucky one of us remembers these things, not that I could ever forget that day."

Then placed the bracelet on her wrist. "Miss." The Cybermen bowed their heads to her.

"Tiny bit pleased?" The look on her face was more confused. "Oh, go on, crack a smile. I want to see if your eyebrows drop off."

"All of this. All of it, just to give her an army? Knowing that she'd just be confused, Miss?"

"Well, I don't need one, do I? Armies are for people who think they're right. And nobody thinks they're righter than this girl, thanks to her upbringing." I raised her to know right from wrong, not to know that she was always right. "Give a good girl firepower, and she'll never run out of people to kill."

Galaxy stared at her, so, so confused. Oh, Gee... "I don't want an army!"

"Well, that's the trouble! Your father always did! You've always wanted one because of that!" She put her hand on her chest, listening to her beating far too hard. "All those people suffering in the Dalek camps? Now you can save them like he never could. All those bad guys winning all the wars? Go and get the good guys back."

"Nobody can have that power. That doesn't make me happy, that just makes me confused. How do you know I'm this, this Galaxy girl? I looked nothing like her photo!"

Missy just looked at her. "You're half Time Lord, Gee. You change just like him. And you don't have a choice, young lady. There's only way you can stop these clouds from opening up and killing all your little pets down here. Conquer the universe, dear little Gee. Show a bad girl how it's done."

But Gee just ripped the bracelet off and moved back behind me. So I got angry that she was scaring her, that she was making her confused and angry when she knew what could happen. "Why are you doing this? To her of all people!"

"I need you to know we're not so different. I need my friend back, need you both." It was your own fault we weren't friends anymore. You're lucky I'd done what I had for you. "Every battle, every war, every invasion. From now on, you and her decide the outcome. What's the matter, Mister President? Don't you trust yourself?"

Trust myself? Trust Galaxy, who took after her mother so much? Oh, but there was something else I could do. I could tell the truth. "Thank you. Thank you so much." And I kissed her gently. "I really didn't know. I wasn't sure. You lose sight sometimes. Thank you! I am not a good man! I am not a bad man. I am not a hero. And I'm definitely not a president. And no, I'm not an officer. Do you know what I am? I am an idiot, with a box and a screwdriver. Just passing through, helping out, learning. I don't need an army. I never have, because I've got them. Always them. Because love, it's not an emotion. Love is a promise." Danny put his arm around Clara. "And he will never hurt her. P E, catch!"

The control bracelet landed in Cyber-Danny's hand, Gee laughing at the odds. "You didn't notice, did you? While you were doing all your silly orders, while you where showing off, the one soldier not obeying."

Missy shook her head in disbelief. "No, that's wrong. That's impossible."

"The rain will not fall." Maths let go of Clara and put on the control bracelet as he walked towards Missy. "The clouds will burn."

"And who'll burn them?"

His face was emotionless, but the threat was there. "I will burn them."

She didn't look impressed. "How?"

"I will burn."

"One burning Cyberman is hardly going to save the planet."

This meant nothing to him as Gee moved to Clara, the two girls embracing. "Correct." Then spoke into the bracelet. "Attention!" The Cyber-Army sprung to attention. "This is not a good day. This is Earth's darkest hour. And look at you miserable lot. We are the Fallen. But today, we shall rise. The army of the dead will save the land of the living. This is not the order of a general, nor the whim of a lunatic."

For some reason this offended her. Like she didn't already know and love that she was bonkers. "Excuse me?"

Danny just kept going. "This is a promise. The promise of a soldier!" Now he looked at both of the girls. "You will sleep safe tonight, Clara, Gee." And ignited his rocket boots, rising from the ground. All the Cybermen did the same, flying off into the clouds and exploding, burning them away and letting the sunshine through.

"Well. The clouds have all gone."

"Yes, burned up." I agreed, nodding slightly at Galaxy, Georgia, Gee, whoever she wanted to be. "Totally burnt. Burnt to nothing. Sorry."

"Ten zero eleven, zero zero by zero two" I stared at Missy. "The current coordinates of Gallifrey. It's returned to it's original location. Didn't you ever think to look?"

No, that wasn't right, it couldn't be there! "You are lying!"

She struggled to her feet, desperate to be there with us both. "We can, we can go together, just you and me, with Gee. Just like the old days."

Knowing exactly how that would end up? "You'd be clapped in irons."

"If you like."

Only then Galaxy walked forward, holding the device in her hand. She'd know how to use that right away. "Doctor, I'm assuming you'll remember those coordinates?"

"No. No, don't you dare. I won't let you."

"She cannot keep living. So long as she lives, she will always be in my head, always behind my shoulder." Oh, Gee... "If you have ever let this creature live, everything that happened today, is on you. All of it, on you. And you're not going to let her live again."

I walked forward and held my hand out for it, knowing that I could never let her live with her in the back of her head, breathing down her neck and making her think she was a bad person. "Georgia, all I'm doing is not letting you kill her. I never said I was letting her live."

Her bright blue eyes widened, Clara close behind her. "Really?"

"If that's the only thing that will stop you, yes."

So she handed it over and I turned to look at the Mistress. "Seriously. Oh, Doctor. To save her soul, when you know it's already tainted?" It wasn't tainted until you took a life, which I would make sure she never would. "But who, my dear, will save yours? Say something nice. Please?"

I didn't know what to say, so Gee did. "You win."

"I know, tiny little universe."

Only as I prepares to vaporise Missy, another energy bolt got there first. It was a Cyberman with a dark chest disc, pointing to something lying amongst the gravestones. "Doctor!"

"Kate. She's breathing! She's alive! She can't be here." I told the others, Galaxy stood a little ways back, looking back to where Missy had been stood. "She fell out of a plane. The Cyberman must have caught her."

"Doctor, she's talking about her dad."

That made sense. "Of course. The Earth's darkest hour and mine. Where else would you be?" And I saluted the spirit of Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart. He acknowledged me with a bow of his head then blasted off into the wide blue yonder. "Thank you."

 **DW**

I said goodbye to Clara a few weeks later. She and Danny, who found a way back, wanted to go on and be happy together, so I lied and said I'd found Gallifrey. If only.

But there was something else I had to do, which was talk to my daughter. So, I met her in a pub near their flat, her hair white again for some reason as she just sat before me, playing with a small blue charm around her neck. The necklace that I'd given her on her tenth birthday. "Hey. Where'd you find that?"

"Missy had it." She nodded a little, tucking it under her blue shirt. "I deserve to know what you know, Doctor."

"Ask away. I've nothing to hide from you." I told her honestly, wondering why she hadn't remembered at all yet. "Gee?"

Her cornflower blue eyes looked down for a moment, before they looked right at my own pale greyish blue. "What's my name? M, my full, full name?"

Easy enough question, I'd been the one to write her birth certificate, the proper one. "Your name is Galaxy Kaster Vivienne Minerva. There are no last names on Gallifrey, or at least not before you're married then you take a married name you both choose. If you really want to take a last name, the name Libby and I, your mother, chose, was after her favourite Earth author, Terry Pratchett. Galaxy Pratchett."

"My name is actually Galaxy? That girl in the photo, she looked nothing like me." And fished out a photo I'd never seen of her before of her, one where she was older, about 17, and definitely taking after her mother. "This isn't me!"

"Because you regenerated. Most likely from whatever you took to get away from Missy on Gallifrey." I explained, hoping that she would believe me, and... That maybe she wouldn't remember. There were things that she probably could do with not knowing, like who I was during the War, losing Libby, Tyler and her niece. "It knocked you unconscious, making it look like the poison, but obviously it wasn't."

Gee played absently with the white hair that once again surrounded her ever so slightly darker face, looking lost as to who she was. "You're my father."

I nodded slowly. "I am, yes. You don't have to call me that, Gee, God knows I was never expecting you to. It's be oh so many years for me, I thought everyone was gone, I didn't have any idea that it was you."

She nodded and took out Missy's device, making me stare at it. "She told me that this had a lot of answers for me. She told me that the poison I took almost wiped my mind completely, that to save me, she had to upload them and they're saved on here like a hard drive. she said she didn't know when it would be safe to give me them back."

"It's safe now." I replied softly, seeing her looking at the device with both apprehension and hope. "You'd remember Libby, Tyler, your niece who was older than you."

"We both know that she isn't dead, Doctor." She replied softly, her hand going lightly over her chest. "I hear her sometimes, sense her somehow. She's out there, and she's waiting for me to do just that, and then she'll come back for me. I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I'm not this Galaxy, I'm not anyones daughter and being around you makes this stronger, I can hear her louder."

Oh, Gee... "I can protect you, keep you safe."

She shook her head though. "No. I just want to stop, I want her to stop and I don't want to put you at any more risk that necessary. I might not remember before, but at the same time, you've still been amazing for me, you've never lied to me and you've cared for me as best you can. I don't remember you raising me, but I still see you as a dad."

I gave her a smile for that, getting a small one from her in return as I put a hand over hers, my daughters. After all that time of me saying to myself that she wasn't a replacement, and then she turns out to be the real thing. "I wouldn't mind if you called me dad."

"Dads like hugs."

Oh, what was it with these girls and hugs? "Come on then, before I change my mind."

Galaxy got up from behind the table and I did the same, letting her wrap her arms around me tight and I just held her. Held my little girl in a way that, like normal, I could hide my face from her. "I'm sorry, dad."

"Don't be, Gee. You have nothing to be sorry for." I whispered, wishing that I could tell her, but I'd sworn to secrecy the day I first laid eyes on that tiny newborn with tufts of hair like starlight and eyes the colour on onyx. "If you need me, just call, I'll be there in a heartbeat."

"Dad, it took you a month to get back to me after this message. But I will. Promise. I'll see you again some time."

Nodding, I let go and touched her cheek gently, before leaving my daughter yet again. At least this time I wasn't leaving her in a War Zone.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Gee:

"Gee, I'm home!" Clara called, coming into the flat with her bundle of marking and a bottle of wine. "Hey, are you burning that candle again? The flat smells amazing."

"Yeah, it's good for giving me ideas." I told her, pausing in what I was doing, painting on a large canvas, to look at her. "It's running low, I'll have to get some more."

She nodded, pouring two glasses of the merlot right away for us, before coming to look at my painting. "That, that is incredible. Is that your old face? The one from before you died, Gee?"

It was my turn to nod, sipping the smooth, fruity drink and enjoying the moment of warmth it gave me. I wasn't supposed to drink, not with my heart tablets, but I never drank more than half a glass a week, really. "I've titled it Kaster, one of my middle names. Galaxy Kaster Vivienne Minerva Pratchett. Galaxy Kaster is a mouthful enough, my two first names. I'm nearly done with it, I'm going to add it to my portfolio to get into that uni course."

"You know that you don't need to get the qualification like that, right? You could have just added that to your fake identity." She pointed out, sitting down next to me on the sofa, which I'd covered in a white sheet to stop getting the oil paints on it. "Why do you feel like you have to prove yourself?"

"Because I don't have the qualification. Or, at least I don't remember ever qualifying back on Gallifrey." I told her, using the back of a paint brush to scratch behind my ear. "I mean, I know that I'm good at art now, but what if I wasn't before? What if I won't always be?"

Clara just laughed at me and shook her head, looking at the detailed painting that I'd spent the better part of a week on, waiting for my sleep pattern to reset after a month of solid nightmares about her, Missy. She was in Lanzarote, and wanted me to go out to her. Not a chance, but I'd not slept since she started to try and influence me. "I think you've always been good. You can regenerate into anything, but some things stay with you. The Doctor, your dad, he's always been a kooky idiot, remember."

I sighed and rested my head on my best friend's shoulder. "You know him better than I, Clara. You go change, I'll get some food ready."

She agreed and I went into the kitchen, forgetting my wine for the time being. I made us some pasta and fish up, both of us on a bit of a health kick as if we did it now, it meant that we couldn't gain loads of weight over Christmas eating chocolate and mince pies. "So, have you picked a uni yet, Gee? You could get into any of them, like, all over the world."

"I'm not going anywhere, I'm going to London Arts. So I can stay here and just ride my bike everywhere." I smiled, passing her a plate as she came out in her pyjamas, ready for the two weeks of fun and Christmasy shenanigans we'd planned. Which was mostly just us getting the marking done, me getting my portfolio finished, and then watching fun films. "That, or the tube when it's too cold."

"I'll miss not having you here all the time, and miss you doing all the washing." She laughed, tucking into her dinner. "But, you were originally only here until we found your name and dad. Which, turned out to be far easier than expected, but, you're now officially normalled enough to merge into society and do as you will."

"Ah, but you're forgetting something. UNIT are still keeping a close eye on me, meaning that I'm supposed to stay with you until such a time that they decide that I am not a threat to society." I laughed with her, knowing that my mind control definitely worried them, even though I'd promised on my honour as the Doctor's only living child, never to use it. "I don't even like killing spiders in the bath!"

Clara was in hysterics now. "And you didn't even know how to use a washing machine when you first got here! The Doctor had to teach you!"

Oh, come on! "I still taught you how to fix your laptop, and when you covered for that maths lesson, you 'borrowed' an image changer from him and I had to cover for you!"

I got a shove for that, but it was definitely worth it before we just curled together on the sofa, two empty bowls of food on the table by my art supplies. "Do you ever think about what it would be like if we'd both gone with him again?" Clara asked softly after a while, falling asleep slowly. "If you'd have remembered?"

"All the time." I replied, yawning as I realised I was actually still covered in grey and silver paint. "I could remember at any time, but I know that the moment I do, poop will hit the fan and I'll put you at risk."

"I'm not as frail as you think, Gee." Clara smiled a bit, taking my hand. "You're my best friend, I stand by your every decision, if you want to remember, that's cool by me."

Giving her hand a warm squeeze, I nodded, before we both fell asleep.

The next day, while Clara enjoyed the first day of the Christmas break, I got up fairly early and grabbed the weeks grocery money, cycling over to the supermarket to have a wander around and get what we needed. I'd gotten there early enough that the croissants were freshly hot out of the ovens and I got them back home fast enough that Clara had just come out of the bathroom. "Hey, you're up. I got Saturday Croissants, and they even had some of your favourite jam."

She smiled at me, looking like she was still in that weak, sleepy stage of waking up as she sat down at the kitchen table with me. "Sounds great, Gee. Um, what time did you get up? Did you manage to sleep alright last night?"

"Yeah, it was a little less than I needed, by a large amount, actually, but I got some sleep." I nodded, making up a pot of English Breakfast for us, then made up the croissants. "How you feeling, you look a little, I dunno, bleh."

"It's the curse of being a teacher. You always get ill just as the school holidays start." She laughed a little, nursing a mug of tea as I just put away the shopping. "What are you going to do while I get through the marking, Gee?"

I shrugged, pausing to drain my second mug of tea for the day, when it was only half 9. "I need to get out and do some drawing of real things, on Earth, anyway. Something tells me that all my drawings of the Dragon, and the Skovox, and Missy, they're not things that they'd believe to be real"

Clara nodded a little, sniffing. "Wrap up warm though, it's freezing in here, let alone out there."

That made me pause, looking at her for a moment before checking the thermostat. It was a toasty 21 degrees in here. "Back to bed when you've finished that, Clara. You're definitely not well, and you're not wasting your two weeks off being ill."

My best friend held up her hands in surrender, her nose running before she turned to the side to cough. "Fine, fine, you are so your fathers daughter."

"And don't you know it, Miss Oswald. I'll be fine outside, I'm just going to ride my bike to the park and sketch the swings, stuff like that." I told her with a smile, tucking my white hair behind my ears. It had been a spur of the moment thing, dying it back to the white, but I'd done it because I preferred remembering when I hadn't known a thing about who I was, that I had a power that I could barely keep in check and I had a woman who was obsessed with using me to get at my father. It was simpler to pretend. "Eat, then get to bed. I'll be fine, I promise."

She did and headed back to bed, before I packed up my bag with the art supplies and paper, before peddling down towards the park. Not the nearest park, as that one still held horrific memories for me, but one at the other end of London, with a beautiful tree to sit under and a large pond frozen over. Perfect for drawing.

So I plugged myself into my phone, listening to an audiobook as I didn't have the concentration to read it myself, and started to draw the pond with the reeds sticking up out of the ice and the shadows across it with the wintery sun.

"You're getting good at that."

"Shut up, Missy." I told the voice in my head, muttering it aloud so I saw a puff of white smoke come from my breath, the cold not bothering me but I knew that it wasn't doing me any good in the long run. "I want nothing to do with you, you know that."

She laughed a little, making me close my eyes and she allowed me through, meaning I was in the same place that she was, sitting before her in Lanzarote. "Is that why you haven't told Clara that I'm still alive, little universe?"

I glared at her. "My name may have been Galaxy, but I am not your universe. Tell me what you want to say, then leave me be."

Her eyebrows rose, but she did just that. "Have you heard from him?"

"He posted a Christmas card, about 3 weeks early, but he gave me access to a bank account with near unlimited funds about a week ago." I shrugged. "He's my father, he's doing what fathers do and respecting my choices and keeping his distance for a while. Would be nice if you did the same."

"I'm not your father, dear, I'm more complicated than that." Missy replied stiffly. "I've not heard from him in a while, I was just wondering if you had. Will you let me know if he comes to see you?"

"Why would I do that, Missy?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "You tried to kill all of us."

Her brow furrowed, looking perplexed about that. "Not you. Never you."

That was something that was actually true. Far as I was aware, she tried to save me, and even before, she'd not hurt me, I'd done it to myself to get away from her. There was no concrete evidence that Missy had ever tried to hurt me. "Why not me, Missy? Dad is your best friend, was, your best friend, yet you let him fall from a burning plane, you tried to leave him to the Cybermen, you made, the Cybermen to blackmail both of us into waging war across the universe to become dictators. So why have you never tried to hurt me?"

Missy merely shrugged with that expression not budging. "You'll have to remember and find out for yourself. I've already broken a binding promise once, I'm not going to make that mistake again, it hurts. You want to know the truth, you have to remember, Galaxy."

I hadn't taken the name Galaxy Kaster. "The minute I remember, you're going to have stronger control over me. For all I know, you've set it up to control my mind, body and soul, why should I trust that device?"

"We both know that you've already run every check imaginable on it, dear, and so did the Doctor the moment he knew it existed. He doesn't want you to remember."

I frowned at her then, leaning forward in my chair. "What do you mean, he doesn't want me to remember?"

Another shrug, a sly smile playing on her lips. "He didn't exactly fight for you to remember how good a father he was to you. Do you not know why?"

"He's already admitted to me that there were times he wasn't a good man, or a good father, but he's trying his best now. Are you done? Did you just want to see if I knew where my dad was?" I asked her, getting up from my chair. "Because I'm trying to get my portfolio done for uni by Christmas."

"Go if you want. You know how to reach me if you have more questions."

Gritting my teeth, I let go of the cord holding me there and I snapped back to my body, jerking slightly against the tree. Just as a policeman came towards me. "You alright there, love? Bit cold to be napping out here."

To which I nodded, seeing that somehow I'd finished my drawing while talking to Missy. "Sorry, yeah, um. I was drawing, must have dozed."

"You uni students. Best head home now, it's getting dark and your parents will be missing you."

If only, the Doctor was probably pretty far out, not keeping an eye on me at all. Besides, he found Gallifrey, he'd gone to make it a good place again. "Thanks. I will." I smiled at the officer, before packing up my things and got on my bike, cycling back up towards the flat.

Only suddenly something hit into the side of me, hitting me so hard that everything blacked out.

When I came too again, I was on a stretcher, being wheeled through a hospital with something over my mouth, listening to the people around me talk. "Drunk driver hit her, went right into the side of her bike. ID at the scene says her name is Georgia Pratchett, blood type is impossibly rare, which isn't good as she's losing a lot from her right side where a paintbrush is impaled."

"W, w, wha-"

They realised I was awake then, looking at me as I was wheeled into an OR. "Just relax. You need to stay calm, Galaxy. If you can, tell me where hurts, OK? Where hurts?"

"C, c, c, cla, Clara..." I muttered, tears running down my face as suddenly I felt all of my body screaming at me, pain making me just want it to end. "C, c, Clara..."

"Clara? Is she your girlfriend, your sister? Check her records for a Clara, see if we can get some next of kin in while we try and stop the bleeding." The woman told her colleagues, before my necklace was taken off and my shirt cut up the middle for her to gain access. "Get an anaesthetic, we can't keep her in this much pain."

I just blacked out instead, briefly coming too when I heard a terrified Clara arguing with some doctors, before I was just lying in a bed, able to hear her next to me. "This is wrong. Oh, God, Gee, this is so, so wrong... Can you hear me? They said that you should be able to, you're only just out of waking up. Georgia, it's me, it's Clara. Please, please wake up, please..."

My body fought to open my eyes, but I was just so, so tired at that all I managed to do was squeeze her hand, making her gasp a little. "Gee? Gee, please, was that you? Do it again if that was you."

It hurt, but I squeezed her hand again, making her sob in relief. "Oh, thank God, Georgia... I was so scared I'd have to call him and say that I let you go out, that I wasn't watching you... Just sleep now, there's... You need to be strong for when you wake up. I'll be here, Gee."

So I slept for a while, not sure how long, but when I came to again, now able to open my eyes, Clara wasn't by my side. And as I was now able to move, I got up and unplugged myself from machines and started to wander around, leaning on my IV stand for support. "Clara?"

"Georgia!" She cried, running out of an office room when she heard her name. "No, you can't be up right now, you've just had an accident-"

"I'm fine, Clara, don't make a fucking fuss." Now we both paused as I realised my voice was completely different and my attitude towards swearing had completely changed. "What the fuck has happened? I couldn't even say shit earlier and now I'm swearing like a fucking sailor."

This seemed to make her laugh a little, though she still looked ill and she'd obviously been crying. And she also looked very small as the laugh just broke down into more sobs. "Gee... You were the victim of a drunk driver, he smacked into the side of your bike and you had everything in your bag get trashed. Your paintbrush punctured your right lung, but you've got part of a second heart there and it triggered a regeneration."

I stared at her as two nurses came and started to move me into a wheelchair and then back towards the room I had just come from. "Clara, what are you talking about? No, I just got up, don't make me go back to bed!"

"Miss Pratchett, just let them, please." Kate told me, coming out of the office Clara had been in. "You've had a massive shock and we're handling it, given your recent regeneration. It's going to take some time before you can leave the hospital again."

"This is going to end in tears. None of them mine." I snapped as I got moved forcibly back into the bed. "Kate, I am not a threat, nor have I ever been a threat! Please, please tell me that I didn't miss my first Christmas?"

My best friend shook her head, quickly holding me down as I tried to get up again. "No, no, it's still a few days away, Gee. It's nothing to do with you, it's more to do with the fact that you've just had an identity made and you've literally just changed your face. It's going to take time to change it all around to fit your face and get the nurses and doctors working with you to sign some waivers. Plus, your heart is struggling, Kate wants to monitor it."

"My heart is always like this, I hate hospitals!" I told her, finding it weird that I was now speaking in an English accent, and my white hair was definitely more blonde, but I liked it. Needed to be dip dyed blue though, that was a must. "Can I at least be handed a mirror, please?"

So I was handed one by Kate, who wasn't overly sympathetic looking about my predicament, letting me see my face. It was still fairly wide, but I had a lot more meat on me this time in a way I really liked because I was stronger. My eyes were darker, more a night sky blue, which went well because my skin was darker too and my hair was a nice platinum blonde that fell straight around my face.

Honestly? I looked far better than I had before, no matter what anyone said. "It's good, huh? I like my eyebrows, they're quite thin and delicate."

"You look amazing, Gee." Clara agreed, glancing at Kate who was hooking me back up to the heart rate monitors. "Look, you have to stay here at least until boxing day. I can't stay overnight, but I'll be here all day every day, even Christmas. Promise."

Well, this sucked balls. "Fine, but we are not calling my dad. That is just not worth the aggro when he turns up and goes all, all raar I'm a Scotsman on the guy who hit me." And I even added in the angry motion with my hands, before looking at them. "OK, well, that's going to take some getting used to."

I got a massive hug for my troubles then, Clara just holding me tight. "He's going to find out sooner or later, but fine. Oh, Gee..."

"Madam? Madam! Stop!" I told her, hearing her crying again. "No tears! Go home, mush! I'm going to go mad without my art book. Oh, shit! My portfolio! I had an amazing still life, it took me all day!"

Kate now showed me something, the drawing of the pond in charcoal, but it had blood splatters along it in a way that looked like red paint. It looked good, like a horror scene. "Something tells me that it's still goings to make the cut. Do you promise to stay still and good?"

In response, I just offered them both my pinkies. Some things would never change.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

The Doctor:

This, this was not good. Santa was so not real. "Galaxy, Clara, I want you to step inside the TARDIS. I don't want either of you to talk, I want you both to do as I ask. Please."

One of the 'Elves' looked at his colleague. "That was good, with the box."

"Hmph. Not often we get upstaged on a rooftop. Hmm."

My daughter was looking at me with wide eyes, her white hair up in a ponytail as she stood on the roof in her PJs. "Yes, I'm really here, love. I'm back. Now get inside the TARDIS." Both her and Clara obeyed silently and shut the door behind them. "I know what this is. I know what's happening, and I know what's at stake."

'Santa' folded his arms at me. "I don't think you do, Doctor. But I promise, before this Christmas Day is done, you will be glad of my help. Especially with Galaxy Kaster on the line."

Oh, sod off. "Happy Easter." Then went into the TARDIS, hearing Santa tell me to save room for a tangerine. Excuse me, it was like a fake orange, what was the point in them? "Nobody likes the tangerines."

"We're really back here. This is, this is real, yeah?" Clara asked. "Doctor? Talk to us. I never thought I was going to see you again. What is going on out there? What's happening?" I just kept using the console, the time rotor spinning. "Oh, that noise. Never knew how much I loved it."

"There's something you have to ask yourselves, and it's important. Your lives may depend on it." I told both girls, making my daughter look at me instead of at her best friend. "Everybody's lives. Do you really believe in Santa Claus?"

My daughter just smiled with a nod, before she hugged me. "Do you know what? Yeah. Right now, here, I think I do." Gee...

At which point I made them get into more sensible gear and they put on parkas and booties. Only Galaxy and I didn't help must either way as we entered the station, hearing Slade playing before a girl fell back and started at us in fear. "We've, we've got ghosts!"

"Ghosts?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's a skeleton man, a White Witch and a girl in a nightie."

The door closed behind us, my daughter shivering a little from the cold. "Dad?" She asked, frowning at the bodies in the beds.

Which set the girl we were scaring off. "No, no, no, you're making me think about them. Don't make me think about them!"

"What are they?"

Now they figures started to sit up slowly. "Look. Just don't ask, yeah? And don't look. Don't make me think about them."

Sheets fell from their faces to reveal blank slimy carapaces, so I scanned them with the screwdriver as they got out of bed. "Deaf. Blind. How can they see us? How do they even know that we're here?"

"They can only see you, yeah, if you see them. So just, so just don't look, don't even think about them."

"Oh, telepathic." Gee nodded, not really bothering to stop thinking about them. Mind control blocked out nearly all forms of telepathy from her, she was most likely immune. "They can home in on their own image in someone else's brain. Third-party perception. Mind piracy. We're being hacked."

Clara stared at her. "What does that even mean?"

"The visual input from your optic nerve is being streamed to their brains. Stop broadcasting. Close your eyes."

She did so, but knew what was happening even so. "They're still coming, aren't they?"

Funnily enough. "It's because you're still thinking about them. So long as you retain them as an active memory, they can still home in. Think about something else."

"How?" The other girl started to sing to Slade again. Best Christmas song, hands down. "Why is she singing?"

Nice plan, actually. "She's running interference. She's trying to distract herself. Three hundred and four minus seventeen."

"Sorry, what?"

"Plus twenty. Just do it!"

Both girls said it together. Well, Gee loved maths. "Three hundred and seven."

A crack like a mucus filled maw opened in the carapaces. Maths, keep going with the maths... "Minus fourteen, times four."

"One thousand nine hundred and seventy two."

Galaxy! "Stop being so good at arithmetic."

"I can't help it! I'm your daughter!"

Fine, let's go with something painful, then. "Danny Pink! What is Danny Pink up to right now? He's probably flirting with your neighbour or texting women of low moral character."

Clara then opened her eyes and slapped me across the face, hard. The Sleepers, who were now very close to us, closed their maws. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare say that."

Sorry for saving your life. "I was only-"

"Danny Pink is dead, Dad."

"No, he's not."

They both nodded, standing hand in hand. "He's dead."

The infirmary door opened and the rest of the crew ran in with very, very big guns. "Go, run, now, now, now!"

"Come on, quick, quick, quick, come on!" I told the other girl singing, just as gluttonous spiders dropped down on a thread of mucus from the ceiling. "No!"

One headed squarely for my face, before a big explosion destroyed the exterior door. A tangerine rolled in from the snow, followed by a troop of varicoloured slinkies and toy robots. Lastly Rudolph reared up, with Santa on his back, viewed through the hole where the exterior door used to be. "Whoa, whoa! Ah! Good boy." He walks into the infirmary, followed by his elves with a balloon toy, and an air gun. "Well, now. What seems to be the problem? This is the North Pole. We don't want any trouble here." Rudolph bellowed. "Hey, Rudolph." And used a keyfob to 'lock' him. "Easy, son. Oi! Sleepy heads! It's Christmas Eve, early to bed."

Then he clapped his hands and the Sleepers returned to their beds. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, take a guess." I scoffed at the girl, holding Gee as she went to examine them. Really, not a good plan. "Go on, push the boat out. Tooth Fairy, maybe? Easter Bunny?"

Ian, who reminded me ever so slightly of a human, well, Elf, Strax, aimed his balloon at me. "Shut your mouth, wise guy, or you get yours."

Wolf just looked at him. "It's a balloon animal."

"That's a toy gun."

"Yeah, well, at least it's unsuitable for children under four. Parts small enough to swallow, so watch out." Wow.

The girl who'd been singing, stared at them. "Now, this is ridiculous. Am I, am I dreaming?"

Probably, who knew? Maybe we were all dreaming. "Oh, very good."

One of the gun people, the younger woman, was very confused. "I need to know exactly who you are, and what's happening here."

Santa gently pointed her gun away from his midriff. "Hello, Ashley. Lead scientist on a polar expedition. Oh, that microscope really paid off, didn't it? Now, your mum and dad wanted me to get you a toy one, but sometimes, I take a chance."

"Who are you? Why are you dressed like that?"

"Why do you think?"

Singing Girl was utterly lost. "Come on, this is mental. This is totally not happening."

"I got three words, Shona." He told her softly. "Don't make me use 'em."

Shona narrowed her eyes. "What three words?"

"My. Little. Pony." Nothing wrong with them. They made great dart targets. Or, so I'd been told. "Yeah? I've got lots more, babe."

She made claws of her hands. "I will mark you, Santa."

"Dad, explain, please." Galaxy sighed, shaking her head, ponytail swishing. "I'm confused and that doesn't happen often anymore."

"It's an invasion, Miss Pratchett." She took the name...

Both girls looked at each other and folded their arms. They weren't exactly that much taller. "An invasion of, of what, elves?"

Which annoyed Wolf. "Whoa! That is racist."

"Elfist!" What was the difference?

"Yeah. Which is a bit hypocritical, from people of your heights."

It was really only Wolf, who was the weirder looking one, who was a tiny bit taller than Gee and Clara, but they made up for it in intelligence. Santa then distracted me, fetching a large transparent specimen container 16367/KB from his saddlebags. Oh, we were going to have our work cut out for us. "Huh? You seen them before, Doctor?"

I nodded at him, not letting Galaxy move far from him. "I've heard of them."

"The Kantrofarri."

"Colloquially known as the Dream Crabs."

He agreed with me, not really paying much attention to my daughter. She felt smaller in my arms than normal, like she was barely there. "Yeah. Depending on how many of those are already on Earth, the human race may well have seen its last day. So, are we going to stand about arguing about whether I'm real or not, or are we going to get busy saving Christmas?"

"Oh, ho, ho! Santa goes badass!"

"He's giving me the feels."

Even Santa seemed annoyed with his Elves. "Shut up. That's a, that's a verbal warning. Please, stop it."

So I was handed it with Ashley, the in chargey one, Clara and Gee looking at us both carefully. Hm, Galaxy was normally into this as well... "Is it dead?"

"I don't know. Possibly."

Ash looked at me. "I'm assuming extra-terrestrial."

Did you see these things on a regular basis? "Oh, definitely."

"Then how can you have heard of these things?"

"Guess."

"Because you're extra-terrestrial, too, and so is Galaxy Kaster because she's your daughter." When did I call her Galaxy Kaster? I mean, they were technically both her first names, they were double barrelled, but I didn't say it. "Why's it called a Dream Crab, for a start?"

Gee rolled her eyes. "Theorise."

She looked right at us both. "Because it generates a telepathic field." There was more. "Alters perception." And what did that lead us to? "I seem to be doing all the work here."

So Clara said it instead. "Meaning we can't trust anything that we see or hear."

"Go to the window."

She frowned at me. "Why?"

My daughter shrugged. "Because it gets worse."

Ashley looked out at the incongruous blue Police Box. "What is that?"

"That's how Clara and I got here."

"In a box?"

Excuse you. "Technically, in a telephone kiosk."

That got a laugh out of her. "How?"

The impossible. "Because it's a spaceship in disguise. You know what the big problem is in telling fantasy and reality apart?"

"What?"

Gee smiled slyly. "They're both ridiculous."

Clara was now also worried. "So we don't know what is real and what isn't?"

About right. "Exactly."

"Are we in danger?"

"Oh, we are well way past danger, Clara, Galaxy Kaster." I told them both, my daughter not looking scared in the slightest. "If I'm right, and I usually am, we're dying."

Ashley stared at us. "Then how do we stay alive?"

You were good, better than idiots like Adam. "I like you. Straight to the point. I want you to show me how you first encountered those creatures, and what happened to those people in the infirmary. I notice you all wear mini-cams, so I assume that there is footage."

She still looked hesitant. "Is it possible I'm about to work with someone who might be a dream?"

"If it helps, so am I."

So Ashley nodded at me. "We have footage on the drives. I'll see what I can pull up."

"Ashley, what's this polar base for? Why are you all here?"

"It's a long story."

She headed out before I looked at Clara, who had hit me earlier. "What you said about Danny. Unacceptable."

That was the point. "I know. I had to flood your mind with random emotion."

Her eyes narrowed in anger. "Random?"

"You never told me he was dead. Either of you." I looked between Clara and Galaxy. "You said he made it back."

"Well, I lied. I lied, so you'd go home to Gallifrey instead of fussing about me, or taking away Georgia, who was Galaxy, your daughter."

Except... "I never found Gallifrey. I lied, so you'd stay with Danny. I let Gee stay with you because she was close to you both."

Galaxy now interrupted, her accent just the same as normal. "So we're dying, then?"

"Yes."

Now Clara started to ask more questions. "Why?"

Very hard to explain. "Oh, complicated."

"How long do we have?"

"No idea."

She sighed, Gee making cups of tea. Always tea with her, always. "Just. Doctor, give me something to do."

You wanted something to do? OK, I had a great place to start. "Trust nothing. Accept nothing you see. Whatever happens, interrogate everything."

"In case it's a lie."

"In case it's a lie."

Then we headed over to where Shona was arguing with Santa Claus. "You all right?"

She nodded, giving the fat man a glare. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to talk sense into er, Beardy-Weirdy."

Galaxy folded her arms at her. "You don't seem much like a scientist."

"That's a bit rude, coming from a White Witch and the daughter of a magician."

"Why are you out here?" I asked before an argument could ensue. "What brought you to the North Pole?"

Shona shrugged. "Long story, isn't it?"

Hmmm. "You missed the killer question."

"Sorry, what?"

I pointed at the fat man. "Beardy-Weirdy."

Now he looked at me. "Yeah?"

"How do you get all the presents in the sleigh?"

"It's bigger on the inside."

Which set off his Elves again, before we were called over to Ashley and the others, Albert gnawing on a drumstick. "Sorry. Starving."

Delightful. "What am I looking at?"

The monitor said Headcam: Carter. "Footage from a week ago. A side expedition from our main mission."

OK, anyone want to tell me what that was? "What is your main mission?"

"Long story." Must be a very long one. "Ice cave directly beneath this base. Now, look at what we found." A cluster of Dream crabs hanging amongst icicles. "Dormant at first."

"Until you looked at them too long. Till you thought about them." Bellows agreed with me, the other Scot on board. "Sleeping. Probably been down there for centuries. They can detect their own mental picture in any nearby mind."

Her boss nodded. "That's Bellows' theory."

"It's like it responds to the presence of any data concerning itself."

That was pretty much all everyone knew about their attack method. "Oh. That was always the legend. You think about a Dream Crab, a Dream Crab is coming for you."

Albert, still gnawing the turkey, moved some things on a console. "This is where it gets really nasty."

A Dream Crab descended onto the headcam and it went into static. "Okay, then what?"

Bellows switched the image to the infirmary, with them putting the Sleepers into bed. Albert's drumstick was a never-ending feast. "They're a bit like Facehuggers, aren't they?"

Excuse you, what? "Facehuggers?"

"You know, Alien. The horror movie, Alien."

What. The. Actual. Hell?! "There's a horror movie called Alien? That's really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you."

"First, they just slept. Couple of days, just lying there."

Total integration, melting down the brain into milkshake. "And then they became aggressive."

Ashley nodded at me. "If we got close enough, yeah."

"It would take the Dream Crab a little while to take control. Depends how much of the host brain was digested."

Obviously that didn't help her at all. "Are they still alive under those things?"

It kinda went both ways. "Depends what you call alive."

"Are they suffering?" Definitely liked her, she asked the right questions.

"No. No, no. no, no, no. The Dream Crab induces a dream state. Keeps you happy and relaxed, in a perfectly realised dream world, as you dissolve. Merciful, I suppose." Now looked at Facehugger. "Compared to that turkey leg you keep eating. Could you rewind for me? I'd like to see them dormant again. Galaxy, Clara, could you fetch me the dead one?"

My daughter folded her arms at me again, her eyebrows rose. "Maybe I could fetch you a cup of tea while I'm at it."

Definitely my daughter. "Ooh. Yes, and a punch in the face, too."

"Our very next suggestion."

"Fair enough."

Only practically as soon as they left, I realised my mistake. "What's wrong?"

"We're thinking about it. Clara! Galaxy!" And found my daughter locked in a cupboard and Clara was lying on the floor with a crab over her face. Since when did my daughter hide from a fight? "Galaxy, here. We need to wake her up. Clara, you're dreaming. You're dying. Can you hear me? Clara?"

"We did try to waken the others. No stimulus worked."

It was going to work, we had to get her out of there. "Okay, we kill it. We find a way to kill it and we get it off of her. How do we kill it?"

Ashley just shook her head, making me no longer like her much. "There's no way to kill it without killing your friend, too. And as a scientist, may I just say, I don't like the way you're talking."

Wait, wait, wait. "Santa. In the infirmary, you told the Sleepers to go to bed, and they obeyed you."

He shrugged. "Sorry, doesn't mean I can get that creature off her."

"No, but you can get back in there unharmed."

"What? You're asking Santa for help?" Shona demanded. "He doesn't exist."

Not the time for this. "And how would you know that? How did you become an expert on what does and doesn't exist?"

Santa tried to defuse the situation. "I can commit several million housebreaks in one night dressed in a red suit with jingle bells, so of course I can get back into the infirmary."

"Good. Because there is only one way that I can communicate with Clara."

So a Dream Crab was let in and it took me, so I could push through the connection to get to my daughters best friend. Meaning I could knock on her front door. "Hi."

"Hi. Doctor?"

Who else would turn up like this? "It's not real, Clara. You know it's not real. It's a dream, and it's killing you."

" Merry Christmas."

I closed the door behind me and follows her into the living room. Of course. What else would hold her here? "You remember Danny, of course. And you obviously know Georgia." Georgia? She was Galaxy.

"Not as well as you, clearly. You've made him a fraction taller, and you're remembering her temporary name. Merry Christmas, PE, love."

"Compliments of the season, sir."

"Hey, dad."

Damn, everything was perfect aside from that, her voice was amazing. "Dialogue's pretty good, too. Nice work. It's all in the detail."

Clara glared at me. "Just stop it."

"He's not real, Clara. None of this is real. What's real is there is an alien organism wrapped around your face, keeping you warm and happy while it eats you. The real Gee, the one who is currently terrified, is holding both our hands."

Danny tried to pull her back in. "Mince pie, anyone?"

Please, Clara... "You're dying."

"If this is a dream, how can you be here? How can we both be having the same dream?"

Difficult to say, really. "There was only one way to get to you."

"And what was that?"

"I'm dying, too, while my daughter watches."

Only this was a dream she wanted, a way to go that meant her last sight was her best friend and her boyfriend. "You just wake up. Just leave me here, please."

So I touched her right temple. "You have a pain right here. It's like an ice cream pain, but gentle. Do you know what that is? The skin and bone have been parted, probably half an inch, and something has pushed right into the soft tissue of your brain and is very slowly dissolving it. I want you to picture it this way. Somebody has put a straw right through your skull and is drinking you. You should be screaming with agony, but there's anaesthetic. Everything around you right now, even Danny and Gee, especially Danny and Gee, that's the anaesthetic."

They were both unaware that they weren't real, that she had imagined them. "Why are you doing this? Why are you saying all of that?"

"Because it's true. How long do you think you've been here?"

"All day."

You'd be dead. "No. No, no, no. Barely five minutes. Because dream time goes faster. Because this isn't real. Danny isn't real. Georgia isn't real because Galaxy is stood in the real world. Danny Pink died saving the world."

"I really didn't."

Not talking to you, you weren't real. "I'm sorry. I thought there was a way back for him, but I was wrong. I can't change that. He's dead."

"I didn't die saving the world, Doctor, I died saving Clara and Georgia." Danny told us, Gee folding up a drawing and tucked it into her pocket. What? "The rest of you just got lucky. How long has she got?"

"Minutes, till it's irreversible."

"Well then, get out the way." I did as he said, not looking at the fake version of my daughter. How nice would it be to give her a normal Christmas like this? "We're dreams and you know we are, right?" Clara nodded. "Right, one thing. But it's important. It's a very important thing. That is totally how you guessed all of our presents."

Her eyes were inflating with tears again. How did she even do that?! "I miss you."

He held up his hand to show all the digits. "Five minutes." She frowned. "You can miss me for five minutes a day. And you'd better do it properly. You'd better be sad. I expect my five. But all the rest of the time, Clara, all the rest of the time, every single second, you just get the hell on with it with the real Gee, the one you know isn't here or there. Clear?"

"Don't you soldier me."

That just made him smirk at her. "Do as you're told."

"Brave."

"Dead already. How does she wake up?"

Honestly? hadn't ever got that far. "I don't know. Just try. Accept this isn't real, and try."

So Gee walked over to her now. "Do it. For me. You know where I am, you know that this is wrong. You know that this is so not fucking me anymore, right?" Language!

"When I wake up, you won't be there. It was my fault, Gee."

"You know full well that it was no ones fault but that idiots. Do you know why people get together at Christmas?" Danny asked as I stared at her, trying to work out what was apparently her fault. It was Missy's fault that Danny died, she arranged for him to be hit by that car, but she wasn't an idiot. Bonkers, but not an idiot. "Because every time they do, it might be the last time. Every Christmas is last Christmas, and this is ours. This was a bonus. This is extra. But now it's time to wake up. Wake up for the real Galaxy."

They kissed, before we both woke up, crying out at the Crab on my face before it fell off and Clara's did the same, my daughter jumping back in alarm. "Clara? Clara, look at me, Clara! Clara! Breathe, breathe. Breathe. Breathe."

The Dream Crabs were on their backs, twitching, then they turned to dust. A little later, we retrieved a piece of carapace and put it in a specimen jar while Shona brushed the remains into a dust pan. "So these creatures, when their feeding goes wrong, they die?"

Galaxy nodded, tucking her white hair behind her ears. "The carnivore's hazard. Food has teeth too. You okay?"

Clara was checking herself in a mirror, looking for the hole in her head and shook her head. "Good. There are some things we should never be okay about."

"There doesn't seem to be a wound."

"No. And the pain's still there, isn't it?"

Shona now put her hand up. "Is it the ice cream pain? Just here? Cos I've got that."

"It's the cold, I think. Some sort of reaction."

"But only on one side, just that spot there." She pointed to her temple. "Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

Facehugger frowned as well. "Well, we've all got it."

Clara looked around at us all. "Okay, so why do we all have that pain?"

Now my daughter walked around, tapping something against the palm of her hand. "Theorise."

"Don't treat me like a beginner. I was dreaming, then I woke up. I know that."

"Do you? And have you ever woken up from a dream and discovered that you're still dreaming?" She asked, making me frown and move closer to her. "Dreams within dreams. Dream states nested inside each other. All perfectly possible, especially when you are dealing with creatures who have weaponised your dreams against you."

Bellows just shook her head. "I don't know about anybody else, but I'm pretty certain I'm awake right now."

That made her laugh. "Which is odd, when you think about it. Impossible, in fact. How can any of you be awake?"

"I don't understand."

"Remember how you all first met, in the infirmary?" I was trying to get Shona to move, but Gee? Gee was just standing there. Mind control, she wasn't affected by them... "All those creatures coming down from the ceiling, attacking you. You never stood a chance. How did you survive that?"

Shona thought she knew what happened. "Well, we, we were rescued."

Galaxy kept laughing. "Yeah, you were rescued. And who was it that rescued you?" Now she looked at me. "You've worked it out. Catch."

And threw me what she'd been holding. The drawing from in Clara's dream. I'm in Room 43B. Merry Christmas, Father x

When I looked up again, Gee had vanished and I lead them into the control room, Santa walking off on the phone. Was that the real Galaxy, or was that a memory of mine and Clara's merging together? "The Helman-Ziegler test. The only reliable dream test that I know. Ah. Your base manual. I take it none of you have memorised this."

"Oh. I haven't, I haven't read it." That didn't surprise me, Shona.

"These books should be identical in the real world. But as they don't exist in your memory, in a dream, they can't be. Agreed?" They nodded and I looked at my companion. "Clara. Give me any two digit number."

"Fifty seven."

Good enough for me. "All right, all of you, turn to page fifty seven and look at the very first word. Right, when I point at you."

Ashley. "Isotope."

They others looked worried. "Well?"

Bellows next. "Extremely."

Facehugger. "Inside."

Lastly, Shona. "Chocolate. Why did I get chocolate? What's that about?"

"This can't be right." Facehugger insisted. "We must have got it wrong, that's all."

Sure, lets see how this goes. "Well, we'll do it again. Clara?"

"Twenty four." Getting lower.

Ashley "We."

Bellows. "Are."

Albert. "All."

I looked at the last girl in the list. "Shona?"

"Dead."

"Since the attack in the infirmary, nothing has been real?"

Pretty much. "The attack is still going on. This is it!"

"We've been dreaming since then?"

Now Santa and his Elves were back. Well, these clowns made far more sense now. Not so much why we both dreamt up Galaxy Kaster telling us a room number for some hotel or something, but they made sense. "Oh, for Easter's sake! Of course you've been dreaming. Haven't you been paying attention?"

"Rudolph. Did you see the nose?"

"The North Pole? Come on, with stripes?"

They all spoke in unison. "This Is A Dream!"

Santa gestured to his phone. "How much more obvious do you want me to make it? Because I can text the Easter Bunny, you know."

OK, it was getting surreal now. "Seriously? You're trying to help?"

"As you stand here, chatting, chatting, your lives are ending. Unless you wake up, unless you free yourselves from these dreadful creatures, they're, they're going to destroy you."

"You're a dream who's trying to save us?"

"Shona, sweetheart, I'm Santa Claus. I think you just defined me. Besides, I think that other one, Galaxy Kaster Vivienne Minerva, she made it pretty obvious that dreams can help, right, Doctor?"

As long as I knew she was out there, I knew that I'd keep fighting. "This makes perfect sense. The Dream Crab tries to make the dream as real as possible to trap you inside it. It creates dreams within dreams so you can never be sure if you are really awake. But your brain knows something is wrong. Your subconscious fights back. This is your mind trying to tell you this isn't real. It's why Clara and I saw Galaxy, she'd immune to this in real life, her hypnosis is too powerful."

This made the fat man beam. "So it gives you me. Sweet Papa Chrimbo. And that other one."

"It gives you comedy elves, flying reindeer."

"Exactly."

Now he pointed at me. "A time-travelling scientist dressed as a magician."

Annoying Strax did to thumbs up. "Classic!"

This was not how things were supposed to be going. "No. No, no. Hang on. No, no, no, no."

"Living in a phone box."

"It's a spaceship in disguise."

Santa wasn't stopping. "You see how none of this makes any sense?"

I walked over to him. "Shut up, Santa."

"I have watched over you all your lives. I've taken care of you from Christmas to Christmas." Bellows tried to argue the realness. "And yet that never stopped me. All of you, come near. Come here, come on. Join hands."

No, I, I didn't, I didn't do the touching thing. "Look. No. Look, we don't need all this touchy-feely stuff."

"Shut up, Doctor. Join hands. Come on, concentrate." More questions. "You are deep inside this dream, all right, and it is a shared mental state, so it is drawing power from the multi-consciousness gestalt which has now formed telepathically and-"

Come on, it's my turn! This was my thing, I probably had all this in my head and he was stealing it! "No. No, No, no, no. Line in the sand. Santa Claus does not do the scientific explanation."

"All right. As the Doctor might say," now mimicking my Scottish accent, "oh, it's all a bit dreamy-weamy."

"Why don't you just go and, and make a naughty list?"

"I have, mate, and you're on it."

Excuse you, that was very rude, given the amount of planets I saved on a weekly basis. "Don't give me that. Look, you're supposed to be warm and friendly and cheerful."

Still doing the Scots accent. "Oh, yeah. Well, look at your great bedside manner."

I sounded nothing like that. "Don't be so hostile-"

"Doctor, behave." Oh, so don't tell him to behave, just me. Thanks, Clara, real pally thing to do, knew whose side you were really on.

Ashley was now getting scared. "This is very sweet. But right now I have an alien life form wrapped around my face, and apparently it's digesting my brain. When you speak, how do I know it's not the Dream Crab?"

"Ooo, good question. Spoken like a scientist."

My own companion interjected. "Can I put it another way? Why would the part of our brain that is trying to keep all of us alive choose you for a face? I understand Gee, she's my best friend and his daughter."

Santa looked at the people around us. "Is anyone else asking that?" Pretty much everyone. "Why me? It's the North Pole, it's Christmas Day. You're dying. Who you gonna call? Just one last time, huh? One last Christmas, as if your lives depended on it. Please! Ho, ho, ho. Believe in Santa."

So we all shrugged and form a circle. "I'm not very good with this holdy-hand thing. I don't even like hugging Galaxy."

"Tough." Thank you, Clara.

"I will hold Clara's hand, but that's it."

"Shona, take his hand."

I didn't like this, I didn't like this one aota. "Oh no, I'm fine, I'm fine. This is very Christmassy, isn't it?"

Ash looked for Santa. "Okay, so what do we-"

Only they'd vanished. "We're waking up. That part of the dream is over. We're on our own now."

"Well, then. What do we do?"

Basically, you trigger your body to wake up. "That pain in your head. Make it worse. Head towards it."

"So when we wake up, what do we expect?"

"Only a few moments will have passed at the most. The attack is still in progress."

Shona, who couldn't have been much older than Gee, looked at me with tearful eyes. "I'm scared."

Well done, so was I. "Congratulations. That means you're not an idiot."

Now Clara did the same, her eyes out past her nose. "It's not like the last time."

"Last time wasn't real."

"Good luck. Stay calm. And God bless us, every one." What did God have to do with this?

Everything whited out, before we all sat up again in the infirmary. Dream Crabs falling from our faces, as the Sleepers clutch their sides and writhe. We all coughed violently to clear the mucus as the Dream Crabs twitched and turned to dust. "About time!" Galaxy snapped, dragging myself and Clara to our feet, having picked up one of the guns from the scientists. "Run! Out, out, now! NOW!"

Bellows had to hit at a stray hand with the butt of her gun until the doors shut, before I looked around. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Headcount done, thank you, my work here was done. "Everyone all right? Good. Bye." And walked off with Galaxy before she could really work anything out. "No need for chatting, you'll only get attached. This isn't Facebook."

"Er, what about the Dream Crabs?" Clara asked, following us out, me just brushing her off. "And the people that they're eating?"

"Beyond help."

Galaxy turned in front of me, folding her arms like an angry amnesiac pixie now. Not that I was complaining about the amnesiac any longer. "Father, the others are still in danger."

Most people were in danger all over the world. "Only if they're stupid. There are polar bears on this ice cap. Am I supposed to do something about that, too?"

I was getting teamed up on by munchkins. "We know Dream Crabs are still on Earth."

"There are lots of dangerous things on this funny little planet of yours, Clara, most of which you eat. I'm the Doctor, not your mam." Then looked at Gee. "Uh, no, really, not. I'm your dad, I toughen you up."

Then walked into the TARDIS, before Gee yanked me back out as Clara spoke. "Doctor? If Santa was only in the dream, why was he on our roof?"

Oh, you had to be bloody kidding me. Dreams within dreams! "Four. Four patients. Four manuals. Hurry! Do you know what I hate about the obvious?" They both looked at me. "Missing it."

We ran back inside, finding the 4 in the control room again. "As you were. No saluting." Wait... "Are you the same people as before?"

"Of course they are."

"Oh, sorry, I deleted you."

"Well, that's not a very nice attitude, is it?"

Not important right now, Shona. "Four manuals, yes?"

Ashley nodded. "Yes, why?"

"One each."

"One each, yes." Facehugger snapped. "What's the problem?"

Why did no one else see this? "Well, the problem is, you can't see the problem. For instance, you, gobby one." And threw one to Shona. "When we first met you in the infirmary, what were you doing?"

She hesitated over her words. "Mmm. It's a long story."

OK, that was adding up badly. "Uptight boss one." Another manual. "What is the primary mission of this polar base?"

"It's a long story."

"Sexy one." I told the Scottish lady, making Gee groan and roll her eyes. Oh, don't get me started on you, young lady, where the hell were you really? "What brings you to the North Pole at your age?"

"It's a long." She paused, realising what I was getting at. "Story."

Now Clara was getting worried. "Okay, why are they all giving the same answer, because that is a tiny bit freaky."

Well, it was about to get a bit worse. "If you think that's freaky, try this. We were in the TARDIS. Why did we come here?"

"It's a long story." The penny dropped. "Doctor?"

"Galaxy, in Clara's dream, the first dream I thought I woke her up from, you did something. Clara, can you remember?"

She frowned a little, before remembering. "She folded up a bit of paper and put it in her pocket."

I held my hand out to my daughter, or, my dream daughter. "Galaxy?"

So she reached out to me, holding the slip of folded paper. I am in Room 43B. Merry Christmas, Fatherx

"Dreams. They're funny. Ha, ha, ha." I laughed, before going deathly serious. "They're disjointed. They're, they're silly. They're full of gaps. But you don't notice, because the dream protects itself. Stops you asking the right questions. For example, why do you have four manuals, one each, when you have a crew of eight? Or did you forget about your friends in the infirmary here?"

"But we woke up."

Gee shook her finger, sitting against a desk. "Dreams within dreams, I warned you. I'm not even real, I'm a figment of my fathers dream."

Miss Sexy was now lost. "This isn't a dream. I know it isn't."

"No one knows they're not dreaming. Not one of us. Not ever. Not for one single moment of our lives." I told them, before looking at Clara once again, calling on her for the right answer. "Clara? Page number. Make it a good one."

"Twelve." Perfect.

Everyone opened their manual at the number. All very, right until little Shona at the end. Very Very Very Dead. "And who's going to be the first to admit it?" Galaxy asked, getting up to walk around us. "That the pain is still there."

"Actually, I think it's getting worse."

She rolled her cornflower blue eyes, the dream version of my daughter very much like me. "Yes, there is an alien organism in your brain, eating it. Of course it's getting worse." Now pointing at the Sleepers getting out of bed. "Factually, they're getting up. Significantly, they're sensing the endgame. Go on. Look at them. Look at them properly. Look who they are. They're you. The Sleepers are you."

Prof Rona Bellows. Shona McCullough. "We're dreaming, all of us. This base isn't real. None of us are actually standing in the room. I'm probably asleep in my TARDIS. Clara, you must be in bed, the real Galaxy Kaster shaking your shoulder, trying anything to get it off." Her hand went to her mouth, unable to take her eyes off me. Well, that was more a dramatic reaction than I was expecting, but sure. "God knows where the rest of you are, probably scattered all over the world. But wherever you are, the Dream Crabs have got us, and we're all being networked into the same nightmare."

"What are they doing?"

The Sleepers were walking towards the cameras. "It's your subconscious again. The Sleepers represent the part of your mind that's already surrendered to the attack. These are dream images of what's coming to kill you."

"That's me? That's actually me?"

Gee rolled her eyes, getting closer to the man to slap him up the head. "No, it's a metaphorical construct representing a psychic attack within a shared dreamscape. Do please keep up. Don't get too close."

Sleeper Albert put its hand up to the camera, and Albert leaned into the monitor. "Why?"

"Because this is a nightmare."

Albert then got grabbed by the Sleeper's hand and pulled through the monitor with a scream. We tried to grab him, but he was gone and then the others were reaching out to their images on the screen. "Look out, they're coming through. Out! Outside, now! Run, run, run, run! Run! Clara, run. Run, all of you, run. Run!"

Nothing slowed them down as they came for us, not even a fire extinguisher, before we were all out of the base, me trying to lock the door with the sonic. "We'll freeze to death out here."

"But it, it's just a dream."

"This dream just killed your friend." Galaxy reminded her. "Start taking it seriously."

Shona stared between her and me. "Where's Albert? Where's the professor?"

"He probably just woke up somewhere in the real world, dead." I replied, not amused with how badly this plan was working. "If we don't wake up now, we'll do the same." The Sleepers thumped the door, making fist marks in the thick metal. "The TARDIS! Come on! Come on!"

My daughter just raised her eyebrows. "Father, it's not the real TARDIS."

Not helping, Galaxy Kaster. "Well, let's hope that I dreamed it really well, then."

The TARDIS doors opened, Sleeper Doctor and Sleeper Clara coming out. "It's us."

"Duh. You're dreaming too, Clara." We were now being surrounded by sleeper versions of ourselves. "The logic of a nightmare."

Ashley lit a flare as Shona reached new levels of panic. "So tell us how to wake up. Because you're always talking like you're so clever, going on and on. So tell us what to do!"

Only thing I could actually suggest right now. "We have to leave this place."

"How?"

I looked at my daughter, who shrugged. "Use your imagination. Even dad is. Dream yourselves home. It's Christmas, the North Pole. Who you gonna call?"

Then at the jingle, we looked up to see a bright red light fly across the full moon then swoop down to land. "Hyah! Whoa! Whoa. Ah. Get in the sleigh." I sat next to Santa with Clara behind me, phantom Gee no longer there. "Fortunately, I know all your home addresses. Yah!"

And up we went into the sky, surrounded by the clouds and above the whole wide world. "So what happens now? This is us just waking up, right?"

"Could be. Well, I hope so. Waking up or-" She looked at me for a moment. "Just focus on this. Do you believe in Santa Claus?"

"I've always believed in Santa Claus. But he looks a little different to me." And put her arms around me. What was it with these girls and hugs? "Look!" Old Father Thames.

Santa looked at me now. "Hey. You want to take the reins, Doctor?"

Excuse you, that wasn't really true, was it. "You're a dream construct, currently representing either my recovering or expiring mind."

"Yes, but do you want a go?"

Was that a trick questions? "Yeah. All right." And I took over the reins to control the reindeer before we slalomed down towards roofs. "Sorry, sorry, sorry."

"Easy! This way." He started to direct me. "Up a bit. Lift up. There we go."

Oh, wait, wait, wait, I could do this, this was easy. "Look at me. Look. Look at me!" We reached the Houses of Parliament as Big Ben chimed midnight. Everyone whooped with excitement we flew around it we headed off north westerly and climbed above the cloud layer again. "Look at me! I'm riding a sleigh. I'm riding a sleigh. Yippee ai-yay! You have to tell Galaxy about this." Now I was getting a bit out of breath. "Oh. Maybe you could-"

He took them back as Shona remembered something. "I work in a shop. I thought I was a scientist. That's rubbish."

Sexy laughed at her. "Finally, something that makes sense."

"You're horrible, you."

"Perfume." Now we looked at Ashley. "I'm an account manager for perfume. Does this mean we're waking up?"

Oh, I really hoped so. I just wanted to see my daughter for Christmas. "Possibly. With any luck, we'll all wake up in our proper times and places."

"Proper times?"

Just travelling around this daft little planet was Time Travel in it's own right. "Well, we could all be from different time zones. Time travel is always possible, in dreams."

Which worried Gobby. "We might not know each other? Not any of us?"

"No, possibly not."

She wanted to hang onto the friends she'd made. "Well, you know what we should do? We should swap numbers. We should have a reunion." At which point Sexy vanished, hopefully back to the waking world. "Er, now I'm pretty sure I can remember my number so, if you memorise it, then you text me, we can go for a curry and-"

I shook my head at the girl. "The chances of you remembering any of this are very slim."

"Well, don't say that." She insisted, as Ash went home as well. "We'll remember, won't we, Ashley? Ashley? Am I next? Is it me now?"

"Shona, you're going home." Clara told her with a smile. "You're surviving."

"Do you want to hang out sometime? We can just hang out."

Clara nodded, but there was something in her eyes, something that she seemed to want to escape from. "Sure."

Now Shona looked at the fat man driving the sleigh. "Santa, can I stay a bit longer?"

Then she was gone as well.

"It's a pity we have to wake up, really." My companion told me after a minute. "It's not really something we do every day, is it?"

Santa shook his head. "No, no. Strictly once a year."

"We stay, we die, Clara." Then I was gone too, waking up on a volcanic ledge as the Crab fell off and turned to dust. "Clara! Galaxy!"

Then ran into the TARDIS, moving to the flat before I ran into the bedroom with a specimen jar. Of course, she still had one on her head. "Oh, Clara. I might have known that you would be the one to sleep in. Okay, I tracked the psychic signal here. I'm pretty sure that I know how to do this now. One of the advantages of actually being awake. So, you just hold still. I've just got to zap the neural centres." Then did so. "Okay, there you go."

I pulled the Crab off her face and put it into specimen jar 16367/K8. "The Dream Crabs must have got to me first then found you in my memory. The others were collateral damage. Well, good to see you properly at last. How long has it been? Clara."

She switches on her bedside lamp, looking at me with a smile. "Oh, you know. About sixty two years. Doctor, I have missed you very much, you stupid old man. I've missed you and your daughter." She laughed and hugged me.

"I've missed you, too." And helped her into the living room, finding her far weaker than she was before, but still with the same expressive eyes. "These are Christmas hats, I've seen people use them. You put them on and absolutely anything seems funny."

"Oh, probably won't work on you."

Because I'd already heard every joke more than 1000 times. "Probably not. You want to try?"

She nodded, still laughing. "Go on, then." I put the yellow paper crown on Clara, seeing her just the same as she always was to me. "Can you really see no difference in me?"

Why should I? "Clara Oswald, you will never look any different to me. So, how was it then? The sixty two years that I missed. Where's Galaxy Kaster?"

"Oh, how was my life, you mean?"

That seemed to be the question I was supposed to ask. "Is there a Mister Clara?"

"No. But there were plenty of proposals. To the both of us, actually."

"They all turned you down though?"

"We turned them down. We travelled. I taught in every country in Europe. I learned to fly a plane, while Gee, she drew and painted every sunset she ever saw on this planet, before she moved on."

I looked at her carefully. "Regrets? Where is she?

Clara Oswald nodded. "Oh, hundreds. I just wish there were time for a few more. She moved on, Doctor. I get the odd letter, from whatever planet she's on. She told me it was killing her inside to watch me slowly die."

Oh, Galaxy... We'd have to find you, have Christmas... "Yeah, they're always the best part. Christmas cracker. We should do one. No one ever matched up to Danny, eh?"

Her eyes didn't move off of me. "There was one other man, or girl, but that would never have worked out."

"Why not?"

"They were impossible." My Impossible Girl...

I held Clara's hand gently to help her pull the cracker. "We should do this every Christmas."

Her eyes... They were just the same. "Because every Christmas is last Christmas."

And the cracker was pulled as I spoke my own regrets. "I'm sorry. I was stupid. I should have come back earlier. I wish that I had."

"Do you, Dad?" A voice asked, making me turn to see Galaxy Kaster stood next to Santa. "How much do you wish that?"

You had to be kidding me. "No. I'm not still-"

"Wakey, wakey!"

And I was back on the ledge, the crab once again falling off before I just got myself right back to Clara's bedroom. Once the crab was off, she touched her face quickly, trying to find what she was looking for. "Doctor. Am I young?"

How should I know? "No idea." And handed her a mirror. "Is that any good?"

"Oh, that's good." Then slowly lowered the mirror as I went to go and wake up my daughter in the next room. "She's not here, Doctor."

"What? Why? Don't tell me you've got sick of her already." I told her, before pausing over a Christmas card she'd been writing. To the nurses and doctors helping for room 43B. "What's room 43B? Where's Galaxy Kaster?"

She got to her feet and came over to me. "Royal St Hope Hos-"

The moment I heard that, I started to run, knowing that it was a hospital and that something had happened to her. Clara followed me into the TARDIS and I landed in the lobby before running to the reception. "Room 43B. Where is it? I'm looking for Galaxy Kaster Pratchett. Room 43B."

"Doctor, 3rd floor!"

And skipped the lift to sprint the stairs, ducking the security that tried to stop me and ran from door to door before finding the right one. So just went right in to see drawings coating the wall, and a mound in the bed, fast asleep. No Dream Crab.

I shook her gently and turned her to face me, before staring at the platinum blonde girl in my arms, realising that the room must have been wrong. "Oh, I'm sorry. I, I thought-"

"Dad..." She whispered, dark blue eyes fixing on mine. "Y, y, you made it, the Crabs..."

"Galaxy..." I frowned, brushing the silvery blonde hair away from her face, seeing my daughter there, definitely my daughter. No one else could have cheekbones that sharp. "W, what, what happened?"

She wrapped her arms tight around me, burying her face in my shoulder as I awkwardly hugged her back. "I was hit by a drunk driver cycling back to the flat. A paintbrush punctured a lung. Please, I'm fine, it's me. It's Galaxy. Merry Christmas."

Screw Merry Christmas, we were spending Christmas day out there, doing what we did best. "The TARDIS is outside." She frowned a little. "So, all of time and all of space is sitting out there. A big blue box, your heritage. Please, don't even argue. I don't care if you don't want to remember, we'll make you all new memories."

Galaxy pretended to think for a moment, before she gave me her hand and kissed my cheek. "Merry Christmas, dad, and to you, Clara."

"Merry Christmas, Galaxy Kaster Pratchett and Clara Oswald."

And I helped my daughter pack her things from the hospital before we went back to the TARDIS, her pjs covered in owls. "Well, look at you, all happy. That's rare."

"Do you know what's rarer?" I asked her, seeing Clara and Gee stood together, the best friends that they were. "Second chances. I never get a second chance, so what happened this time? Don't even know who to thank."

But I was so thankful for this chance with my daughter.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Galaxy:

Clara was at work, I was at home just enjoying the peace I could have while painting, listening to my gaming soundtracks. I'd discovered that I was an avid gamer now, especially Assassin's Creed. Syndicate was amazing.

What I wasn't enjoying, was the constant beeping of my phone, so I got annoyed with it and switched it off, because who needed 6 emails an hour from junk, and immersed myself in my art. Only to find that I missed out the calls from UNIT, calling me to report for duty. So they sent people to pick me up.

Unfortunately, when I'm listening to headphones, I tend to get so into things I don't look around me. Or see the soldiers appearing in my flat until they're just in my peripheral and I snap to action mode.

My new body honed in on the fight instead of flight that if had before, mostly visible in the small defence I had in my forearms, literally built into me. Like the Assassin, I had a hidden blade that came out as I started to fight the soldiers.

"All units stand down and back away from Hypno." A voice cried, loud enough that I took off my headphones, hearts thrumming so fast that it sounded just like one constant beat in my ears. "Repeat. Stand down and do not engage."

"Kate. Why am I not surprised?" I sighed, quickly pushing the blade of bone back into my skin, unsure how that even was a thing. Given that I hadn't remembered regenerating before, or even remembered that I was capable of regenerating that long ago, it had been a shock to suddenly gain a weapon that was a part of my body, but it was pretty cool. "So, I guess that I'm needed?"

One of the men handed me the radio as I put down my paint things into a box, leaving the canvas out to dry until we got back. Chances were, it was about something important, and no one had heard from dad in a while. Not even Missy, who was asking me on a daily basis where he was. I'd just taken to ignoring her.

But I let the dogs take me into the Tower, just as Clara herself was arriving, linking arms with me as we walked into the monitoring room. "He's not answering his phone. Have you tried, Galaxy?"

I'd been trying for the last few weeks to ask about the knives in my arm, no cigar. Why would he answer now? "We don't know enough yet. He doesn't appreciate gossip." I lied, not wanting to worry people that he'd vanished. If he wasn't answering to his daughter, then he wouldn't answer to them. "How many planes?"

"4,165 aircraft currently airborne."

"That's a lot of passengers."

Clara had another view point. "That's a lot of fuel."

"Oh, dear God. Yes, it is."

I was busy using my little scanner, having repurposed the one with my memories in it. Missy gave it to me, after all. Meant I had a weapon at all times, anyway. "Okay, so, what could you do with 4,000 flying bombs? 439 nuclear power stations currently active. Fault lines. Earthquake, a tsunami?"

"Running simulations now."

"So this is an attack?"

My best friend shook her head. "What kind of an attack advertises? Why show somebody what you can do? Why not just do it? What's actually happened to the planes? What are the pilots saying?"

Kate shook her head. "We, we can't contact them."

Her assistant, who for some reason had replaced Osgood, whom I hadn't seen in a while, started to talk. "The planes haven't stopped. They're actually frozen. Like, frozen in time. Pardon my sci-fi, but this is beyond any human technology."

"Okay, so we need the Doctor."

Clara was the only one who knew that he wasn't talking to anyone, and tried to help run the interference. "Kate, we can't just phone the Doctor and bleat, he'll go Scottish. Plus, he could end up grounding Gee or something. Come on. What have we got? What do we know? It's not an attack, it's not an invasion, because, well, that doesn't come with a fair warning. So, somebody needs our attention. Somebody who needs to put a gun to our heads to make us listen."

Shit. Oh, bugger it, who else? "Oh."

"We've got a message." Someone called. "The Doctor channel."

You had to be kidding me. "Sorry, what?"

The woman in charge looked bemused. "He never uses it. I doubt he remembers it even exists."

Already hacked it. "Not him, dad doesn't text. Clara, before this even starts, I just want to say sorry."

She went to say something to that, but texts started to be put up on the screen. "You so fine."

"Have you got any more?"

The bloke nodded, before the screen brought them up. "You blow my mind. Hey Missy, you so fine, you so fine, you blow my mind! Hey Missy!!!"

And then she was on the screen, just the same as she was the day I died and became the current artsy gamer I was, with worse language than a Scouse. "Today, I shall be talking to you out of-" Suddenly Missy was a giant 3D head. Of course, why not? "The square window!"

"What the hell was that? How did she do that?"

"Dunno. Some sort of psychic projection, or something."

Her boss didn't find that at all comforting. "Oh great, thanks."

"Okay, cutting to the chase. Not dead, back, big surprise, never mind, please get Galaxy Kaster to actually reply to my psychic messages." Now all eyes were on me. "I'm in a lovely little square in one of your, oh, I don't know, hot countries. Ask her, she knows. There's a light breeze coming from the east, this coffee is a buzz-monster in my brain, and I'm going to need eight snipers."

Kate stared at her, "Eight what?"

The woman wasn't actually able to see of hear us, it was all pre-recorded. "Three for each heart, and two for my brain stem. You'll have to switch me off fast, before I can regenerate. How fast can you get here? Ooo, I'll need to arrange you a flight corridor." Missy licked her finger before pressing buttons on her new controller, the twin of my own one.

"Why do you need snipers?"

"Because it's the only way Galaxy Kaster will ever feel safe enough to talk to me, given what he father has told her of me." Something told me that I had the upper hand, given that I just took on rather a lot of armed soldiers with just two bones that were deadly sharp and retracted like fucking Wolverine. "Shall we say four o'clock?"

So off we went to Lanzarote, none of us allowed to go near her until all of the guns were aimed at the correct places. Then she just gestured for Clara and I to sit down in front of her. "Go on, then." And we did so, watching her sip espresso. Was it really a good idea to let her drink coffee? I mean, I drank that now instead of tea, but her? "Who's this? Where's Galaxy Kaster?"

"Right here, Missy." I told her, getting a shocked expression. Why did she care? "Thought you would have noticed."

"When you haven't spoken to me since before Christmas, I don't know how I would have." Then looked at Clara. "How's your boyfriend? Still tremendously dead, I expect."

My best friend wasn't happy that I knew she was alive, though she didn't blame me. She blamed my dad. "Still dead, yeah. How come you're still alive?"

Missy just smiled at her. "Death is for other people, dear. Would you like to sit in the shade? I know how you humans burn, and you, dear little universe, are half." She used her controller, and the shadow of a jumbo jet moved over us. If I could get mine close enough to hers... I could download the contents and release all the planes. "Better? I expect you've tried to contact him by now. Well, you should know, I can't find him either. No one can."

"That happens, now and then."

She shook her head. "Not like this." Then put an etched disc on the table. "It's a confession dial. You should know all about these, Galaxy Kaster." I shrugged, not a clue what it was. "You mean, you regenerated and you're still not getting back your memories? Oh, thanks, great for me."

"Just tell us what the pigging thing is, Missy."

"In your terms, a will. The Last Will and Testament of the Time Lord known as the Doctor, to be delivered, according to ancient tradition, to his closest friend, on the eve of his final day." So Clara reached for it, but got an electric shock. "Ah, ah! What are you doing?"

The girl was just a little confused. "You said. I thought."

"No, no, no, no, no. It was delivered to me."

Now more gobsmacked. "You?"

"Well of course" it was sent to me. What have you got to do with it? I'm his friend. You're just-"

"I'm just what?"

"See that couple over there? The one with the little girl?" Where the little girl was pulling along the puppy, who was more trying to eat her feet than anything. Not much of a dog person. Cats were still good. Cats and owls. "You're the puppy."

Please just shut up. "Since when do you care about my dad?"

Missy rolled her eyes. "Since always. Since the Cloister Wars. Since the night he stole the moon and the President's wife. Since before he had his obnoxious son Tyler. Since he was a little girl. One of those was a lie. Can you guess which one? You'd know if you downloaded your memories back."

He'd told me a bit though, all the times you tried to invade. "He's not your friend. You keep trying to kill him."

"He keeps trying to kill me." She shrugged in reply. "It's sort of our texting. We've been at it for ages."

"Mmm. Must be love."

That set her off hating the human race once again. "Oh, don't be disgusting. We're Time Lords, not animals. Try, nano-brain, to rise above the reproductive frenzy of your noisy little food chain, and contemplate friendship. A friendship older than your civilisation, and infinitely more complex. Just take Galaxy Kaster here. She's the blood promise."

Uh, no. There was no way that this was true. "So my father is your bezzy mate and I'm supposed to believe that you've turned good?"

"Good?" Then used her controller to atomise one of the SS Men. Well, I accidentally pissed her off, this was going well. "By the ring on his finger, he was married, and I, I think I detected some baby leakage on his jacket, so he had a family. No, I've not turned good, and you should know, Galaxy Kaster, that you weren't always either. You were never supposed to be." Then shoots another man. "Ooh, wow, I'm on a roll. Thanks for bringing spares."

Clara was getting terrified for the people around us as I just paused, thinking. She had a fascination with me, she was obsessed to say the least. Made me the least expendable in the square. "Stop it. Just stop it. Don't shoot anybody else!"

Of course she wasn't going to listen to that. "Oi, you, sweaty one, on your knees. Let's have a goodbye selfie for your kids."

The man obeyed before Clara just lost her temper. Like that was going to work. "Missy, nobody else!"

"Say something nice." She refused. "I'll kill everyone in this square."

"Start with me." I told her, letting the blade drop from my wrist and held it to my own throat. "Then what, hey? You came here for my help. You're obsessed with me. You kill another person, I kill myself."

"Your father is in danger."

Dad was literally walking danger. "Make us believe you."

Her eyes didn't move off how I was threatening myself. "How?"

Clara knew what we needed. "Release the planes."

"The planes are keeping me alive." Not really, I had a count down until I had control of your device. "I mean, there's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight naughty little snipers ready to kill me."

"Yeah. On my command." So my best friend held up her arm. "Your best friend is in danger. Show me you care. Make me believe."

So she released the planes and I slid the blade back into my wrist, the skin healing over to show no sign of where it had been. "It's only a basic Time Stop. Parlour trick. Couldn't have done anything with them anyway."

"What does it say? Dads confession."

"It will only open when he's dead."

Good to know, meant I had time. "Then it won't open, will it?"

"Question." Missy replied, not taking her eyes off the two of us. "If the Doctor has one last night to live, if he's certain he's facing the end of his life, where, in all of space and time, would he go?"

Where else? "Here."

A laptop was brought to the table, placed down in front of me. "Well, yes, Earth, obviously! But where? When?"

And I just kept my fingers working on the keys, not stopping as I tried to narrow down the places in time and space that he could be. "The algorithm generates probabilities based on crisis points, anomalies, anachronisms, keywords. Blue box, Doctor. Galaxy. There we go. San Martino, Troy, multiples for New York, and three possible versions of Atlantis. It's easier than you'd think. Dad makes a lot of noise and he loves to make an entrance. But which one is the one? Where is he now?" Wait... "How's a Time Lord supposed to die? How are we supposed to die, Missy?"

She was packing behind me. "Meditation. Repentance and acceptance. Contemplation of the absolute."

Clara got what I was getting at. "Great, thanks. Change the algorithm, GeeK." My nickname did not just get changed to fucking GeeK. "Eliminate the crisis points. Where is the Doctor making the most noise, but there isn't any crisis? We're looking for a party."

Gotcha. Medieval Essex. "There he is. "Do not go gentle into that good night.""

"You go, girls!" And she wrapped her arms around me as she put something on Clara's wrist. Before we vanished and collapsed to the ground in castle ramparts. It was night time and the place was lit by burning torches, Missy getting overexcited.

"Whoo, whoo whoo! Mummy, do it again!" You freak. "Vortex manipulators. Yours is slaved to mine, and mine takes passengers. Cheap and nasty time travel."

The courtyard below had wooden stands around it, filled with the peasants and other castle residents, a man waving his axe around. "Face me, Magician! Face me!"

"You probably want to throw up, don't you?" Missy asked me as I rubbed my belly and my heart. "Pick a local. According to you two, this is where the Doctor is."

"Okay, how do we find him?" Clara asked, moving me out of the way of her. "How do we know what we're looking for?"

"Anachronisms. The slightest, tiniest-" An electric guitar riff filled the area.

"Anachronisms."

Dad then enters the under the portcullis on a tank, playing rock guitar and wearing shades. The crowd loved it, as the man lowers his axe in despair. He finished the riff and bowed to the Lord and Lady as his speakers gave feedback. "Dude! What is that?"

"You said you wanted an axe fight." I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, come on. In a few hundred years, that'll be really funny. It's a slow burner."

The man was not impressed. "A musical instrument is not an axe."

"Yes, and a daffodil is not a broadsword, but I still won the last round!" The crowd cheered. "What do you think of my tank? Don't worry, it isn't loaded."

"I don't like it."

With a sigh, my father nodded. "No, neither do I. I bought it for my daughters fish." Since when did I have fish? Did he buy me fish? "I may have ordered online!" Then he got complete silence in reply. "Oh, come on. Fish? Tank? Honestly, this stuff will be hilarious in a very few hundred years. Do please stick around."

"What's the matter with him?" I asked, unable to take my eyes off my father. "He's never like this."

Missy didn't look impressed. "Oh, you really are against remembering, aren't you?"

At which point he looked up, right at Clara and I. "Wait, hang on. Did he just hear that? He doesn't know we're here, does he?"

He started to play the opening of Pretty Woman. "Now, you lot. I have been here all day, and it's been a great day!"

"You've been here for three weeks." That explained a lot.

And apparently it was news to him too. "Three weeks? It must be nearly bedtime. Well, we've partied." Cheers. "Yes! I helped you dig a well, with a first-class, child-friendly visitor centre! I've given you some top-notch maths tuition in a fun but relevant way. And I have also introduced the word "dude" several centuries early. Let me hear you!" The crowd chorused it. "Are you a Renaissance?" And again. "Are you a Medieval?" And again, before dad pointed at a young man in armour. "I am a dragon-slaying?" Again. "We are all the young?" And for the final time. "I like it. But I've got some sad news for you, dudes. Tonight, I'm going to have to leave you." Cries of no from the crowd. "But before I do, I'd like you to meet a couple of friends of mine, and my dear daughter, Galaxy Kaster."

Ahs from the crowd, then applause and cheering, Clara and I coming in, waving shyly. "How did you know we were here? Did you see us?"

He was just looking at us both. "When do I not see you?"

"What, two faces in all of that crowd?"

"There was a crowd, too?"

Since when did you notice anywhere near as much as that? "Wow, we're doing charm as well, now, are we? Which one of us is dying?" Then my dad wrapped his arms around me tight, like he was scared it was the last time he could ever do it. "Okay. And we're doing hugging now, too. I can't fucking keep up. Make up your mind, father."

He hadn't let go yet. "Well, you know what they say. Hugging is a great way to hide your face."

"Okay, look." Clara told him as he eventually let go, but still kept an arm around me. "I guessed a party, but not like this. What is this? This isn't you."

"I spent all day yesterday in a bow tie, the day before in a long scarf. It's my party, and all of me is invited." Then riffed the beginning to Hey Mickey as Missy came in.

"What the hell are you up to, man? We had an agreement, you're not backing out of that until she's old enough!"

Dad wasn't in the mood to listen to her. "It's the wicked stepmother! Everyone hiss!"

Then gave a discordant chord and hissed as Missy bowed and flourished her handkerchief, before holding up the disc. "Apparently, you think you're going to die tomorrow."

He just shrugged. "Well, I've got some good news about that. It's still today!"

Now Missy rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's very good."

His Guitar went wah, wah, wah, before the man started choking. "Bors. Is it a marble again? Did you swallow one of the marbles I gave you? Don't swallow marbles!"

Only he pulled a banded snake from around Bors' throat and threw it away. It slithered under the robes of some creepy ass mother fucker snake man. "Doctor. Your friends and daughter have led me to you. You will come."

"Says you and whose army?" I asked, stepping forward to show the bone blades in my arms. I was basically a awesome Wolverine, though X23 was still cooler. "I'm immune to most snake venom now, something tells me I can take you, Mousie."

The segments of Mousie's face turned in different directions, like the coils of a snake. Its robe dropped to reveal that it was actually a giant serpent with lots of small snakes around it. The crowd fled, before dad quickly moved in front of me. "Nobody dies here. Not one person, not one of my friends or family, do you understand?"

Snakey Man just kept his eyes fixed on dad. "Davros, creator of the Daleks, dark lord of Skaro, is dying."

"So I hear."

"He would speak with you again on the last night of his life."

My father was still in front of me, making sure that I was covered and defended, Missy just behind me. "Then you will harm nobody in this place. Not one person. Are we very, very clear?"

Now he recoiled back into humanoid form, sounding amused. "Are you so dangerous, little man?"

This amused him a little, dressed like an old rocker and I had to say he looked pretty cool. Maybe I could get him to learn the music from Assassin's Creed... "You want to know how dangerous I am? Davros sent you. You know how stupid you are? Huh! You came! You came knowing my daughter would also be here." Mousie hissed. "Is that supposed to frighten me? Snake nest in a dress? Now, explain, politely. Davros is my arch-enemy. Why would I want to talk to him?"

Except Missy had a complaint. "No, wait, hang on a minute. Davros is your arch-enemy now?" Dad tried to shut her up as I glared. "I'll scratch his eye out."

"Davros knows. Davros remembers." Good to know. Now who the fuck was Davros and what had dad done to piss him off?

Mousie held out the sonic screwdriver then threw it to the ground near dad, who hanged his head. What the hell did he do? "Dad? That's yours."

"Er, it was."

"Was?" I questioned, moving forward to look at him properly. "Dad, talk to me."

He put a weak arm around me and kissed my hair, silent for a moment. "I don't have a screwdriver any more, Gee."

At which point Missy was getting really into how sad and lost he looked. "Ooo. Never seen that before. Doctor, the look on your face. What is that?"

"Shame." Clara replied, knowing it. "You're ashamed. Doctor? What have you done?"

I swear I saw something in his eyes for a moment, before he just went up to the creature that was threatening us all. "Is your ship in orbit?"

"It's a trap." Missy told him as Mousie wanted him to prepare to leave. "Doctor, listen to me. I know traps, traps are my flirting. This is a trap."

"I am prepared."

She was getting pissed now as he gave me a last hug before stepping forward. "You sent me your confession dial. You threw yourself a three week party, and you refused to answer Galaxy Kasters calls. You know what this is."

"Yes. Goodbye." And looked at me and my best friend. "Goodbye, Clara. Goodbye, dear Galaxy Kaster."

Then turned around, and one of the colony of snakes bound his wrists behind his back. Fuck this shit. "We're coming with him. All three of us, her, Clara and me."

And we all stood beside him, hands behind our backs as well. "No! No, no, no. Under no circumstances!" Then paused, looking at old Snakey. "What are you doing now?"

"Voting. We are a democracy. It is agreed."

Now our wrists were bound as well, dad well and truly losing his shit. "No, no, no! I forbid it, no! No! No! No! No!" Too late, we teleported.

Up on his ship, I resisted the urge to drop down the blades and kill the snake restraining me. So dad distracted me by explaining who Davros was. "Davros is the child of war, a war that wouldn't end. A thousand years of fighting, till nobody could remember why. So Davros, he created a new kind of warrior, one that wouldn't bother with that question. A mutant in a tank that would never, ever stop. And they never did."

Screaming, endless screaming as they ripped through Gallifrey... I remembered that blue light, the light that burnt your eyes and scarred your heart as it took away people you loved and cared about. "The Daleks?"

"How scared must you be to seal every one of your own kind inside a tank?" He paused a little, looking ashamed once again. "Davros made the Daleks, but who made Davros?"

"Okay, great." Missy sighed, looking out the window as we could suddenly see stars. "Coming out of hyperspace."

A squat chess pawn or stupa-shaped space stationy thing spun nearly. "So that's where he ended up." I frowned, Clara resting her chin on my shoulder to look over at him. "I don't know. A hospital?"

Where we were then stuffed into a holding room, stuck with Missy singing wordlessly and annoyingly, no matter how perfect the acoustics were in the room. "How long have we been waiting?"

Dad shrugged. "Who knows? It's always the way with hospitals."

The cabin door then opened and Mousie glided in. "You will come." To dad. "You will stay." To me and Clara, as well as Missy who did not look happy, but agreed.

"Doctor." Clara said quickly, before he left. "You sent Missy your confession dial."

"Well, we've known each other a long time. Since before Galaxy Kaster was born." Wasn't hard, from what I heard, I was born not long before the War broke out. "She's one of my own people."

She shook her head. "My point is, we both saw her die on Earth, ages ago. And obviously you knew that wasn't real, because so did Gee." Not my fault we were for some reason mentally connected through our mind control. "Or worse, hoped it wasn't. Either way, I think you've been lying as well."

Dad looked sheepish. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. Make it up to me." Then she laughed a little. "There, see? Ha. Now you have to come back."

And he started to head out before looking at me and Missy. "Gravity."

She rolled her eyes as it took me a moment to realise. "I know."

Then the door closed, Missy starting to do a tap dance. Then I realised, which was annoying as I was the sciency one here. "The gravity here's perfect. But this is a space station, so the gravity should be artificial, all coppery-smelling round the edges. But this feels real, like a planet. Missy?"

"How can you and the Doctor be friends?" Clara asked before I could get confirmation. "You spend all your time fighting."

"Exactly." Then threw the snake off her wrist as I dropped the blades, slicing mine into three pieces. "You know what this airlock is? I'll tell you. It's pants."

This wasn't going to end well. Good thing I wore my lucky Batman shirt. "What do you mean?"

Missy just beamed at us both. "I mean that today might be the day."

Clara took my hand tight. "What day?"

"The day I kill you two."

"What are you doing?" My best friend asked as I smelt bullshit. Missy cared too much for me for some unknown reason, she wouldn't kill me. "Are you opening it?"

The crazy ass bitch nodded. "Yeah, course."

Which scared my bestie. "Missy, we'll get sucked out!"

"You two and me together, off we go. Let's make jam!" Then she blew the lock and an alarm sounded. Nothing happened, so Missy stuck an arm out. "It's warm, isn't it? For deep space, anyway."

"What are you doing?" I asked her as she started to step out into nothingness.

"Treading softly."

And stepped out cautiously onto nothing visible. Wow, whatever this was, it was interesting. Some sort of phase matrix, to keep us out of sync? "What, there's a floor?"

Missy shook her head. "No. No, there's ground. This is the ground." So we followed out as she started to dance again. She was cuckoo. "We're on a planet. And that is not a space station. That is a building. And the rest of the planet, the whole thing, is invisible."

Not possible, I saw through that watch thingie I wore, the one that coned light and I couldn't see this. "That's ridiculous."

"Well, yes, of course it is. I mean, how would you ever find your glasses?" I wore contacts. "Or the little girl's room?" Go in the mens, so long as it didn't stink. "And what if you kissed an ugly?" Wasn't interested in kissing at all. "Unless, when you're part of the atmosphere, you start syncing with the spectrum."

"Why would anybody hide a whole planet?"

"That would rather depend on the planet, dear little universe." And then we saw that the spacestation thing was just a small part of a much larger structure. I knew this place, it was one of the memories that I'd retained. Oh, you mother truckers... "No."

Missy took one of my hands and Clara took the other, but this time I didn't mind being close to the weird ass woman, because having her on your team was better than her being with the opposition. "They've built it again. They've brought it back. No, no. No!"

"What? What is it? Where are we?"

"Skaro."

Clara didn't understand. "What's Skaro?"

Missy looked terrified. "The beginning. Where it all started. This is the planet of the Daleks!"

Now a Dalek turned up, followed by a small armada. "Correct."

To which we were escorted back into the building, where the beautiful blue box I'd loved since I met her was stood proud, but surrounded by deadly fire. "The TARDIS. How did she get here?"

"It has been procured."

The Red Dalek was on a raised dais, a big laser gun was lowered from the ceiling. Other Daleks from other regimes milled about, including an old Battle Dalek. "Yeah? Yeah, well, if you're trying to get inside, you can't. Nothing can enter the TARDIS."

"The TARDIS will not be entered. The TARDIS will be destroyed."

Clara chuckled nervously. "Yeah, well, good luck, because she's indestructible."

No one was in for the extrapolator to work, lovey. "Did my dad tell you that? Because you should never believe a man about a vehicle, let alone one married to it."

"Daleks! Pay attention!" Shit. Missy... "You know what this is? This thing you're about to destroy? I'll tell you! It's the dog's unmentionables. And you know all about those, don't you?" She tickled one of the implosive balls. "This is a TARDIS. With this, you can go anywhere, do anything, kill anyone. With this, the Daleks can be more powerful than ever before." Now the daft bitch climbed up onto a ledge opposite the TARDIS and the Daleks all turned to look at her. Clara and I were trying to edge towards the door. GG, Missy, RIP and see you in hell. "You just need one thing. Me and little Galaxy Kaster there. You need us. A Time Lady and a smaller one, to show you how it works. With this and with us, everything can be yours. And you can burn it all, for ever and ever and ever." A long pause. "Or would you rather just kill me?"

The Daleks turned to their leader. They kinda knew the answer, to be honest. "Maximum extermination."

All of them then fired, Missy's skeleton briefly visible before she was completely gone. Oh, I had to run, I had to get out, it was wrong to be here, so, so wrong... But Clara chickened out first, running for the door and they just shot her. "No!" I screamed, before running myself, in the opposite direction. Except the little device in my hand, the one Missy had given me, enveloped me in blue teleport light, just as the fire should have hit me. Missy...

I must have blacked out, because when I came to, I was lying in the sand under an also waking up Clara, who was suspended upside down by the foot, with Missy's jacket under my head. The woman herself, was sharpening a stick with a perfectly good knife. What was wrong with the bloody knife? "Consider the Doctor. The Doctor, trapped. The Doctor, alone. You all right there, dear?"

"Where are we? How did we-?"

"Shh, now. Mummy's talking." For all I knew, you killed my mother, Libby. "Okay, I'm going to tell you a story of the Doctor, your father. It's classic. On the run, no TARDIS. No friends, no help, I think you were still a tiny gleam in your mother's eye, Galaxy. In other words, the Doctor, happy. It was a long time ago. Doesn't matter which face he was wearing, they're all the Doctor to me. So let's give it to the eyebrows."

OK, but, we were on Skaro, did we have time for this? "But the Daleks-"

She just rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm coming to that."

"Shouldn't we be, um?" Clara tried as I went to cut her down, but I'd had my hands, and blades, wrapped in electro-netting. Until it was turned off, using them would zap me painfully. "I don't want to say dead."

Missy glared at her. "Hush! He's travelling by teleporter. Unfortunately, his teleporter is out of power. Also unfortunate, he's being stalked by, oh, say about fifty android assassins? I may be rounding up." She checked her sharpened stick. "Ow. Fifty invisible, indestructible android assassins, all exclusively programmed to kill him."

"Why are you sharpening that stick? I have weapons that you've disabled!"

"Well, I've no idea how long we're going to be stuck out here. Might have to go hunting. And you're far too violent. All those video games are not good, you get your aggression from your mother though."

I pointed at my best friend, who was going ever so slightly pink. "So why is she tied up?"

"In case there's nothing to hunt." Brilliant. I was part human, it was part cannibalism. "The Doctor, then. Surrounded. Outnumbered. Outgunned. And freeze. Nanoseconds to live. Four, I'd say, being generous. Now, my question is this. How did he survive? Oh, come on, GeeK, Clara!" I was gonna slap a bitch for this name. "You know him. Consider the Doctor, your father."

Wait... "Where did he get that teleport thingy?"

"Oh, good, good. He stole one from an android."

"So, I'm guessing he uses the same energy as the android weapons, right?"

She was enjoying this. "Excellent! Not seeing your friend as sandwiches now."

Clara worked it out as well. "Okay, then. He uses the energy wave from the android weapons to recharge the teleport bracelet and at the exact moment he's supposed to disintegrate, he actually teleports. Hang on, that's how you did it. That's how we escaped the Daleks. But Galaxy Kaster doesn't have one."

"I modified the same principle for our vortex manipulators, yes. Blew them off, I'm afraid, but before hand I managed to send the coordinates to the teleport in the controller she crudely butchered." Bitch please, the battery on that thing was appalling, I fixed it. "But the Doctor, he, he improvised it. He must have got through several thousand calculations in the time it takes to fire up a disintegrator. Seriously, what a swot!"

"So the androids think he's dead and the Doctor escapes."

"No, he's the Doctor. He fell into a nest of vampire monkeys." That really didn't surprise me. "But that's another story!" And let down Clara, but didn't take off the safeguard on my hands. "Why does the Doctor always survive?"

That was obvious. "Because he's clever."

Missy rolled her eyes again. "Yes, but there's lots of clever dead people. I love killing clever clogs, they make the best faces." Yeah, poor Osgood, and her poor sister!

Clara was the one who worked it out though. "Because he always assumes he's going to win. He always knows there's a way to survive. He just has to go and find it."

What happened to make him think there was no way out this time? "Yes, except this time, he made a will and threw himself a goodbye party, without inviting me."

"Now, if the Doctor assumes he's going to die, what happens then?"

My best friend took my hand. "We do."

"He's trapped at the heart of the Dalek empire. He's a prisoner of the creatures who hate him most in the universe. Between us and him is everything the deadliest race in all of history can throw at us. We, on the other hand, have a pointy stick, and an angry girl who's managed to adapt herself to be a character from a video game with blades in her arms. How do we start?"

"We assume we're going to win."

That made the woman sigh and start to walk across the desert, turning off my restriction. "Oh. Pity, really. I was actually quite peckish."

"Can I have a stick too?"

"Make your own stick." Wow. I was babysitting.

But we eventually headed over to a large hole in the ground, stinking and utterly gross, making me stare. "Daleks have sewers?"

Missy shrugged. "With one significant difference. They're ever so slightly alive." You were shitting me. "How much of a drop would you say that is? Can you see the bottom?"

"Too dark. Er, we could chuck a stone down, or something."

"Oh yeah, good idea."

Then pushed down Clara and I pushed her after as well. Never know, gravity and Newton's law might not work here and her giant ego could cause her to land first, breaking my bestie's fall. "20 feet if you're interested." I told them, jumping down after. And found them having a stand off with the stick. "Children, enough. Kill each other when my dad is safe and the Daleks are dead. Missy, explain why when the Daleks don't make much waste, this place is a mess."

She just smiled at me as I stepped between both her and Clara, letting my friend keep hold of the stick. "Decaying Daleks. Daleks can't die. Genetically hard-wired to keep on living, whatever happens. Well. But they still age, poor loves. Over time, the body breaks down, rots, liquefies. Interestingly, the Dalek word for sewer is the same as their word for graveyard."

The bitch stabbed a piece of organic material and it reacted. Walls covered in screaming bits of Dalek. But that wasn't the part that broke my heart, that was my father's voice that could then be heard. "I want Galaxy Kaster Vivienne Minerva Pratchett, safe, alive, and returned to me immediately. You bring her back. You do that. You do that now. Unharmed. Unhurt. Alive. I saw what happened. I was there. And I'm hoping, for all of our sakes, that it was a trick, because if Galaxy Kaster Pratchett is really dead, then you'd better be very, very careful how you tell me."

"Listen to that. The Doctor without hope."

"Who's going to tell me?" Dad demanded as I closed my eyes, not liking the sound in his voice. "Who's going to go first?"

No one, because they believed us dead. "Nobody is safe now."

Dad wasn't stopping though. "All the power Davros had is mine. Everything he had, I have. Who's going to tell me that my daughter and her best friend are really dead?"

"He'll burn everything." Missy told us softly. "Us too."

We kept on walking in silence for a while, before we found a door at the end of the sewer. "What is that? A lift?"

"What? Never mind the lift. See that thing on the wall?" A metal circle with a blue dot in the middle, standing proud of the rock. "Take a look, Clara." Why didn't I like where this was going? "Closer."

"What am I even looking for?"

"Nothing. I'm giving it a good look at you." Now an alarm sounded as we heard a Dalek, but Missy grabbed Clara, cuffing her to the wall. "Ever ring a doorbell and run away? Not this time."

My body automatically responded to the threat, but for some reason only registered the Dalek as my assassin's blades dropped down from my skin, like Wolverine's claws. "What the hell did you do that for? Clara!"

But she stopped me from freeing her as she took a brooch from her blouse. "We need to trap and kill a Dalek. You're the bait, we're the hooks." Then showed the image on the brooch. "Dark star alloy. Goes through armour plating like a knife through people or those bone blades through anything." And you were ignoring Clara like a bitch. "It's pretty, though, isn't it? Got it in the olden days on Gallifrey. The Doctor gave it to me when he took my daughter-" But the lift arrived, cutting her off and she took away the image from my sight. I knew that image, why did I know that image? "Keep it talking. We need to draw it out of the lift."

Clara tried to tell us that we couldn't kill the Dalek with bones and brooch, but Missy shook her head as we hid near the lift. "Humanoid detected. Remain still. Do not move. Scan in progress. Humanoid unauthorised in restricted area." It trundled over to her. "Sterilisation proceeding."

"Hey, you!" Missy cried, jabbing at it with the pin. "Guess what? I just put a hole in you." She pricked the Dalek's implosives and steam came out, allowing me to start doing the same with the blades. "And another and another. And another!"

"What are you doing?"

"Murdering a Dalek." Missy replied. "We're Time Ladies, it's our golf." Only the Dalek wasn't bothered by the damage. "Oh, really? I think you're forgetting you're surrounded by a bunch of very old, very angry Daleks." That started to screech, so she went into a bad American accent. "You just got yourself a puncture in a bad neighbourhood. Meet the locals? All blind and squelchy and out of their tiny minds, but they can still smell! Nobody hates like a Dalek. Here they come! I think they want to steal your motor." Of course the Dalek started to panic as viscous fluid seeped into it then out of its grill. "Oh, here comes the older generation!"

The Dalek fired at tentacles coming from the walls, sort of like a bad Cthulhu fic, before I uncuffed Clara and we pegged it. "These young folks today are so tetchy!" Then it blew up. Smooth.

So then Missy walked back over to the thing, opened the lid and scooped out the Kaled within. Before looking at Clara. "Get in."

She did so reluctantly, before Missy started to attach electrodes to her head. This wasn't going to end well, but there was too much in my head to really fucking care about her stupid ass ulterior motive about now. "How am I supposed to make it go? Are there pedals?"

"Telepathic control. Open wide." So she opened her mouth wide. "I meant your skull. Never mind." And Clara cried out as they penetrated her skull. I would have to slap Missy for that. "There's loads of nano-tech repairing any damage as the feed goes in. To control the unit, you just have to think. Novel idea for you, but let's try it. Move forwards."

"I don't know how to." Then gasped as she jerked forward. "Oh! How did I do that?"

Ok, this was actually looking pretty cool. "Circle right." And it happened as she said that she couldn't. "Circle left. There you go."

Which made Missy roll her eyes as we started to turn it into a dance game. Dad would have found it amusing. "All right, this won't hurt a bit." Then closed it up on ger before I could say otherwise. Who said the psychopathic bitch was in charge?

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, I think." Wow, she was actually using a Dalek voice. Made a change from us getting tipsy and using a fan as a voice changer. "Okay. That's a bit weird."

Even Missy nodded at that, and she was the Queen of Weird. "Just a bit. Okay. All right. Shh. Say your name. Just just say. Just say it." Only it came out as Dalek, whatever she had said. "Say it again." Dalek Dalek. "One more time."

The voice got hysteric, making me want to go to her but the gun was firing so I couldn't get close. "I am a Dalek! I am a Dalek! I am a Dalek! I am a Dalek!"

"Whoa! Just don't get emotional. Emotion fires the gun. Okay?" Neither of us understood. "Say I love you GeeK." Oh, for fuck sake... "Those exact words. Don't ask me why, just say it."

"Exterminate Galaxy Kaster."

This was making the bitch laugh. "Say, you are different from me."

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" And Clara lost control of her emotions as the shell shot the gun again, spinning around as Missy just laughed.

"Cybermen suppress emotion. Daleks channel it through a gun. That's why they keep yelling exterminate. It's how they reload." It was also the last thing so many people had heard. My mother, Libby, had, so far as I'd been told. "So, let's go and kill them. Come on."

And up we went, back into the heart of Skaro, not that any of the creatures here had a heart. But of course it wasn't long until we were caught, but that was where it paid to have a 'Dalek' with you. "Humanoid intruders found on lower levels."

It wasn't in the mood to listen. "Why have the intruders not been exterminated? Explain. Explain. Explain!"

Missy stepped forward. "We're prisoners of special significance. Count the hearts."

"You are both Time Lord?"

Apparently this offended her. Not like there should probably be gender equality in Titles by now. "Time Ladies, thank you. Some of us can afford the upgrade, right, GeeK?" I honestly couldn't give a damn what people called me. I was 24, I never even made it through the Academy to get the title. "Is it still the same old Supreme Dalek these days? I fought him once on the slopes of the Never Vault. Tell him the bitch and her daughter are back."

"What the fuck are you talking about!?" I demanded as we were then lead off towards the room where all three of us had not long before been shot in. "Why the shitting hell did you just call me your daughter, you said Dad took your..." Then realised, my heart and a bit aching in my chest as I realised I'd not taken the beta blockers in over a day. Bugger. "I'm adopted. T, t, the agreement, it was about me, it was one to keep you away from me after the adoption! You fucking bitch, you're my biological mother!"

"Now is not the time for this, Gee." She replied firmly, wincing at something in her head as Clara just followed silently in the Dalek casing. Before playing to the crowd as the fool. "Oh, hello! Look at you all, with your nice, shiny domes. Oh, I am loving this." And leaned over to the Supreme. "You're my secret favourite. Don't tell the others."

Missy sat on his dais as I just kinda got stuck staring at her. It made sense, unfortunately. We were connected mentally through the hypnosis, we were both pretty much mental, only hers was actually hurting people, and it explained why she cared for me. "You are enemies of the Daleks."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, anyone who's not a Dalek is an enemy of the Daleks, so that was an easy guess."

"You will be exterminated."

"Please, please do, because I have been on my feet all day, dealing with my daughter and her best friend acting like teens on a shopping trip." Hey! "But before you get all exterminate-y, two things. One, we want to see Davros. Two, I have a lovely little gift for you all, if you take us to him right now." They weren't interested. "Galaxy Kaster Vivienne Minerva Pratchett. Clara Oswald. I brought you complete control of the Doctor, gift-wrapped. Better for the other. Canned."

No, no, no, not Clara, don't you dare let them hurt Clara! "Where are the Doctor's offspring and Clara Oswald? You will tell us! You will tell us! You will tell us."

Missy was dancing in rhythm to the Dalek's speech when suddenly they all stopped, sink plungers and weapons pointing toward the floor. "This isn't good. Missy, what is this?" Golden regeneration energy started to rise from the Daleks. "No. No, no, no, no, Dad. What have you done?" Clara asked what happened as I started to run, Missy not far behind. "I have to find my dad."

She ripped a gun from one of the Dalek's as we ran, before shooting the lock off of Davros' door. So I got to run in and start to destroy Colony Sarf, or Mousie as I'd been calling him, slicing him up like some bizarre sushi rolls. Then we both caught dad as he fell. "Dad? Dad, it's me, it's Gee. Dad!"

"Gee..." He muttered, coming too as Missy decided to slap him. Nice. "Where's Clara?"

"Oh, hello to you, too."

"You're both alive, Gee is actually working with you, so she is too. Where is she?"

Which obviously wasn't good enough for Missy. Who could be my mother. Which was alarming for me. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

But Davros, or whoever was sat in a wheelchair in a corner, started to laugh as the Dalek's started to wake up. "Oh, you are not fine. Thanks to you, Doctor, my creations shall grow to yet greater supremacy, and my own life is prolonged. This is the final defeat of the Time Lords. Have you nothing to say, Doctor?"

I'm sorry, but using regenerative abilities to restore your species? That was bloody obvious a plan. Besides, you idiots hadn't thought it through. "Three." Dad put his confession dial in his pocket.

"Do you understand what has happened? Hear my children sing."

They'd be screaming in a minute. "Two."

Now Missy got that he had a plan and I'd worked it out instantly. "Oh, I know that face. I had that face before hand, it's obviously hereditary."

"All praise Davros, creator and saviour of the Daleks."

"One."

The city started to shake. "What is that? What's happening?"

My dad just smiled at him. "I knew exactly what you were doing, and I let you do it. You transmitted regeneration energy into every Dalek on this planet. Every single one."

Davros was staring at him. "What have you done?"

"One word."

Nope. "Er, no, two words, actually, these ones from me. Fucking moron."

That made Missy laugh as dad put an arm over my shoulder. "Other word, sewers."

"No. This cannot be correct. How can this be?"

"Generations of Daleks just woke up very cross, and they are coming up the pipes." I laughed at him, feeling my chest constrict yet again, the room moving slower, everything moving slower, at the rate my heart was thudding in my body. "Or to put it another way, bye!"

Realising what was happening, dad carefully started to pull me out of the room with him, but not before I could see Missy poke Davros in the eye. Smooth. And then we came into a corridor with a Dalek approaching us. I could see who it was, see my best friend, but I couldn't speak, or even see anything in real time. "Doctor! Galaxy Kaster!"

Dad just stopped to look at it. "This city is about to be sucked into the ground. Your own sewer is about to consume you. There's no way you can win, there is nothing you can do, so just tell me, where is Clara Oswald?"

"I am a Dalek." I am Clara...

"Yes, you're a Dalek. Where is Clara?"

Clara was still desperately trying to tell us her name. "I am a Dalek."

Only he didn't understand. "Yes, I know that you're a Dalek. Where is Clara Oswald? Where is my daughter's best friend?"

Of course she couldn't tell us, and I couldn't tell him as I had blurred vision and basically no way to communicate without passing out. Then Missy was back, still holding that gun. "Doctor, stop! It's you, isn't it? I mean, no offence, you all look alike, but it is it is you?" The Dalek voice changed her words again. But it was definitely her. "Clara's dead, Doctor. This is the one that killed her."

"Do not listen to her. I am a Dalek, I am a Dalek."

"We got her out of the city, but this one caught us and shot her down. There was nothing I could do, I'm afraid." Please, please, you stupid heart! I had to save her, I had to save Clara... "She ran. She screamed. I'm so glad you didn't have to see that. I'm so sad that Gee had to see her bestie die that way." Clara was still trying as I held my breath, counting to 4 over and over again in an attempt to fix the thump thump thump of my heart. "This one's a mad one, isn't it? I mean, it's almost like, like it's proud." Then took me in her arms and gave dad the gun. "Kill it, Doctor. They're all going to die anyway. Indulge yourself. Go on, kill the Dalek."

"Do not kill me! Do not kill me!" Dad aimed the gun at the Dalek before us, asking if my Clara was really dead. "I am a Dalek. I am alive. I am your enemy. Your enemy." Then the words that shocked my heart back into normal rhythm. "Mercy. Mercy."

"Dad, dad, stop!" I cried, fighting free of Missy, though dad had managed to realise it wasn't a normal Dalek. Dalek's shouldn't know that word. "That's Clara! Oh, Gods, my heart... Clara, think open! Open the casing!"

And he did it, the casing opening to reveal my best friend. Missy knew that the jig was up. "Oh, look at that. Now, there's a surprise."

You fucking bitch, be you my mother or not, I would happily slit your throat. "Missy, run."

Dad was starting to unhook her from things, trying to help her while Missy just looked at me. "In a way, this is why I gave her to you in the first place. Why I made sure that your father found you again, Galaxy Kaster. To make you see. The friend inside the enemy, the enemy inside the friend. Family inside the enemy." My blades slid down from my wrists again as dad apologised to Clara. "Everyone's a bit of both. Everyone's a hybrid."

"I said, run."

"It wasn't me who ran, my dear little universe. That was always you. It's how you found me, Gee."

Then she walked away as we got out Clara and ran to the control room, all of the Dalek's panicking. "Where was the TARDIS? It was over there somewhere, wasn't it?" Then looked at Supreme. "Dalek Supreme, your sewers are revolting."

Rubble fell as we ran to the spot the TARDIS had been. "You will assist, or you will be exterminated."

Fuck off, mate. "Oh, well, go on, then. Exterminate away." Clara stared at me in horror, but then the energy bolts just bounced off something around us. We were technically inside the TARDIS, she was all around us. "Oops, sorry. TARDIS force field is still here. We get in, you don't."

"The TARDIS has been destroyed."

"Ah, don't be silly, of course it hasn't." Dad beamed, playing with something in his hands. "It just redistributed itself for a moment. Hostile Action Dispersal System. I'll give it a quick blast from my sonic, and the real time envelope will reassemble right here."

OK, that wasn't actually going to work, I'd have to use my scanner. "Father, dearest, you don't have your screwdriver."

"Oh, yeah, I'm over screwdrivers." Really? From what I'd been told, you'd always loved it. "They spoil the line of your jacket. These days, I'm all about wearable technology." Oh, you were fucking kidding me, the sunglasses? Even Supreme wanted to know what the shitting hell was happening. "Oh, same old, same old. Just the Doctor, Galaxy Kaster and Clara Oswald in the TARDIS."

And then we were back in the TARDIS, dematerialising off as I hugged Clara so tight that she could barely move. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't stop her sooner!"

She hugged me back as we landed, most likely to look at the city as it fell to ruin. "It wasn't your fault. Gee, your heart stopped you. You're a Time Lord with only one heart, it's going to screw you up."

"Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dumb." Thanks, dad. "Come on."

"You guys go on for a minute, I need to have a look at something." I told them, and he nodded, taking my best friend out before I looked at the screen. "OK, you've never lied to me before, TARDIS, so tell me the truth now. Show me my family tree, the biological one."

She groaned a little, before the screen lit up to show me my parentage.

Mother/Father: Despoine Aleksandria Demeter Masters, AKA, the Master/Mistress

Mother: Lucy Saxon, Human, 21st Century

Adopted Father: Legacy Leopold Basil Adad Pratchett, AKA, the Doctor

Adopted Mother: Liberty Kayleigh Magdalena Indira Carly Pratchett, AKA the Wanderer.

"Oh, Gods, I hoped that this wouldn't be the case..." I muttered, resting my forehead on the console for a brief moment before taking out the small device that Missy, my mother, had given to me when she told me where my memories were. A small folder on there, that I had never even dared to touch because they'd be uploaded back into my pre-frontal cortex. Galaxy Kasterborous Solace Serenity Vivienne Minerva. Then I pressed the screen. "What did she do..."


	17. Chapter Seventeen

The Doctor:

"Galaxy, you totally missed it-" Clara cried, running into the TARDIS after I rescued child Davros, showing him that mercy was something that everyone deserved. But there was no sign of my daughter in the console room, her bag just left on the floor and the screen was turned aside. "OK, she's obviously gotten bored of us family members, or she's decided that she's having withdrawal from her PS4 and has gone to play rather a lot of GTA or Assassin's Creed."

I nodded thoughtfully, starting us off before looking at the monitor. And felt my hearts sink in my chest at the sight on there, the words that basically told her that her entire life, what she thought she had known, wasn't actually true. I might have raised her as a daughter, loved her like she was my own, but Galaxy Kaster had actually been almost a year old when the Master had begged for me to take her. "Perhaps. Clara, I'm going to keep Gee here for a little while, I'll drop you off and talk to her about this thing with her arms, how apparently she's now part of the Brotherhood or something."

Clara stared at me, like she couldn't quite believe the words that came out of my mouth. Half the time I didn't myself, it was hard to remember what things I'd made up and which things were actually true now a days. There were times that I forgot that I wasn't biologically Galaxy Kaster's father. "You know about Assassin's Creed?"

"You mean the war between the Assassins and the Knights Templar, searching for the Pieces of Eden to take over the free will of planet?" She nodded, seemingly bemused. "Yeah, I helped them out a few times in 1192, tried to hide the Pieces again because no one needs telepathic mind control matrices powerful enough to control the entire planet." Now Clara was very lost, her mouth doing that weird open and close thing, like a goldfish. "Did you not know it was based on true facts? Well, it is. And, I need to go and talk to my dear Aveline de Grandpré, who seems to think that she's going to take over as the best ever female, and find out how come she's now part Wolverine."

"OK, I am not being part of that. Tell her that I'll see her at home then." Clara smirked, shaking her head before heading out. "See you later, Doctor."

Once she was out, I locked the door and set us off again, then headed down to try and find my daughter, hearing her in her bedroom, swearing, while talking to someone. "Hey! You mother fucker, I'm going to end you and your whole Mario family. You, Luigi, Peach!" Then I knocked. "Enter, but don't expect me to be overly conversational, because Mario is a dick and I'm trying to put a red shell up his ass."

I looked at her as I came in, playing Mario Kart 12 in VR, trying to throw countless projectiles at the title character as she played as Cat Peach. Nothing new there, Cats and Owls were basically her thing, they had been since she was a baby. It took me far too long to work out that it was her, there were so many signs. Her heart, the love of drawing, and cats, and just everything was just like her. My daughter, no matter what Missy tried to tell her. "So. Family."

That made her take her finger off the trigger, pausing the game to take off the visor and look at me. "Yeah, Despoine. My father, not you. Just like some Lucy bird is my mother, not Libby. Did Libby know I was adopted? Given that we both know Missy and I have impossibly strong hypnosis so she could have easily made it look like she was really my mum. Did I ever know that Missy was my real mum, Doctor?"

Maybe. But you were just this tiny little thing when we got you, there was no telling what happened, what made her change her mind about keeping you. I liked to think that Des, as he had been called in those days, had wanted to give her the best chance in life, which was why we faked a birth certificate for her with our names. But in later years, I'd had times where I just thought that he'd done it to have leverage over me. "I don't know, Galaxy Kaster."

"She's my mother and she tried to kill me, tried to kill you, and Clara. She did kill Danny!"

"Just because you're biologically related to someone, doesn't mean they're your family, Gee." I told her softly, sitting down on the bed next to her, smiling a little as she flopped onto her back, hugging her butterfly print pillow to her chest. "You met my parents once, and my 6 brothers and 4 sisters. They're biologically related to me, but they were never my family, beyond my mother. If you think about family, who do you think about?"

Galaxy thought for a moment, her blue eyes staring up at the ceiling. "I think about you, and Clara, and Danny." If only she could remember Tyler. Her big brother adored his baby sister, spoiled her rotten with art supplies from everywhere. "I don't want to remember, she probably did something to me before hand, the memories..."

She handed me the small device that she'd been using as a handheld computer, the screen switched off and it was DNA coded. Guess that Missy didn't want for me to delete the save file of her memories, it was coded only to Galaxy Kaster and her. "Are you sure, love?"

"Take it. I've already started to make myself a new one, to just have as a handheld. I don't want to end up tempted and doing something that I regret."

Gently, I took it from her hands, nodding slowly before tucking it into my pocket. "I'll keep it safe, I promise. Is there anything that you want to know? Questions that you can't live without knowing the answer to? I'll answer them truthfully, Gee, you're old enough to know, you deserve to know if you want to. I'd have told you one day, if the War hadn't have broken out."

She didn't look at me for a moment, her headset still on, even if her goggles were lying on the bed in front of me. It looked like she was struggling with something, and I couldn't blame her if I was honest. She'd just discovered her mother, father originally, was a raging psychopath who'd tried to wage war on the entire universe on more than one occasion. "Was she always like that?"

"No. There, there was a time when she, he, was my best friend. When he had a child with a human woman, told no one apart from me. But about a year later, he begged me to take her. I kept your name, apart from the fact that you started out Galaxy Kasterborous Solitude Serenity Vivienne Minerva. I shortened it, just a little."

"Are you shitting me. What is it with you lot and stupidly long names?!" Gee asked, sitting up again, her blue vest, no longer her 'lucky' Batman shirt, contrasting the green wall. "Galaxy Kaster is already a long name, but it's literally just my forenames."

I shrugged, knowing that I got off lucky. "The more names the higher in status you were supposed to be. It was common for low families to aim high with their children. Liberty and I decided that with our son, he was only going to be Tyler Yves Kaleb. I wanted to take out the Minerva and the Kaster, but Des told me that you already answered to Galaxy Kaster, and Minerva was his mothers name."

"Did people not think that it was weird that you had a kid called Tyler, then Galaxy Kaster?"

When their parents were called Legacy and Libby? "Not really. Names really don't make sense on Gallifrey, Gee. You were never enrolled into the Academy, we didn't let them take you when you were 8, because you were part human, it would either make people think that Libby cheated, or that you weren't ours at all. People barely knew you existed until the War started, when your graffiti started to pop up everywhere. You were a Gallifreyan Banksy."

That made her smile, looking at her fingers, still stained by oil paints from when she'd fallen asleep with her hand in the purple. "Did I always love art?"

Pretty much the only thing we'd ever bonded over. "Yes. Your room was repainted weekly so that we could decorated it over the 9 days that made up a Gallifreyan weekend. Because of your hearts, you were nearly always hooked up to a monitor and couldn't leave your room, so we'd open the windows as wide as possible to stop the fumes and we'd paint all the places that I'd been over the week, the sunsets, the monsters, the people. We'd talk about all the places I'd take you when you were old enough and strong enough to run down endless corridors and fight impossible creatures."

"Did you ever expect me to survive?"

"Not to be as old as you are, no." I admitted sadly, remembering the first time her hearts failed and she almost died. We'd known they were weak, but we didn't know that it was that bad. "Your mum, Libby, she refused to get close to you. We never thought you'd see your 5th birthday. Now look at you, almost 5 times that age, Gee."

I got a weak smile from her then, shaking her head. "I've died twice dad. Killed myself once, then got hit by a car."

"But you're fine, we didn't even think that you'd be able to regenerate, but you seem to be taking a lot after her, more than we were hoping. The mind control, the hypnosis." I nodded a little again, before seeing her touch her arms lightly, where the bones had been. "This is hypnosis on yourself. You're tricking your body into adapting into something you love, which is this game. Can you get them out?"

She nodded and pushed her sleeves up, only the blades just didn't come. "What? I've had these the last two weeks, since I played the first game."

"When did you last play it? Is this the last game you've played?"

"Mario, yeah. Why?"

I offered her my hand, pulling her up and out of the room and to the recreation area of the TARDIS, where there was a large Go Kart course. "Because this is ongoing. You change per game you play. Lets see how good a driver you are now."

Galaxy just looked at me for a moment. "You know I don't actually know how to drive, right?"

"That will be why I am not going in there with you." I replied, handing her the keys to one of them. "For starters, I'm a bad driver, let alone you, Gee. Go on, let's see what you can do."

She rolled her eyes, before taking them and got into a dark blue Kart, all of the others getting turned on to autopilot, like the AI's in the game. Before she lined up on the line. "Ready!"

"OK, in 3, 2, 1..." And I hit the green button so that the race started. My daughter slammed her foot onto the accelerator, roaring off just before her opposition. Then she easily weaved around them, making them slam into each other and her the lead, before she skidded around a corner. "What was that about not knowing how to drive?"

"Shut up!" She laughed, her blonde hair flying behind her as she started to lap the others, still trying to right themselves from when she'd smacked into them the round before. "OK, the fact that I'm hypnotising myself to be video game characters, is kind of amazing."

I laughed with her as she did a skidding finish, knowing that she was definitely up to Mario Kart standards. "Now, imagine what you'd be able to do if you played Arkham Asylum! You'd be throwing Caterangs and be called Owlgirl."

That ended in me getting a glare from her, watching her get out of the kart and come back over to me. "Did you just call me Owlgirl?"

"Well, you love owls!"

"Not enough to end up being like, ooh, I'm going to dress as an owl and solve crimes! Besides, Bruce Wayne chose bats because he was scared of them and it was a way to overcome his fear. Do not ever try and contest my DC or Marvel knowledge." Why was it I end up with one kid the perfect version of his mother, and then Galaxy ended up just the same as me? A Nerd. "So, where do we go from here? Do we tell Clara that I'm the daughter of the woman who caused the death of Danny Pink and countless others? Do we pretend that we didn't learn anything like that, pretend nothing happened?"

There was the choice. Test the friendship, the relationship between two girls like Galaxy Kaster and Clara Oswin, or allow them to keep going on as a lie, saying that I was her biological father, that Missy hadn't said something truthful when she referred to Galaxy as her daughter. "It's not up to me, Gee. She's your friend, she's like your sister. It's your choice what we tell her, but you don't have to make a decision now, you can think about it for a while. You've had a big shock, and something tells me that you haven't slept for longer than you should leave it. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep back in your room, that always seemed to help when you were troubled as a kid."

"I'm not a little kid anymore, dad. I'm really not."

"But you're my daughter, either way. I'll never see you any taller than 2ft 3 and begging me for a pet owl like the one from Harry Potter, and also to get more cats than the three Libby already had." I laughed, putting an arm on her shoulder as we started to walk back to her room, my little girl putting her arms around my middle in a hug that meant I could still see her face. Telling her about how she was when she was a kid... It meant that she could see that I did love her even though I was travelling for most of her life. I could tell her things that we did together, instead of all the things she went through alone because it hurt to much to watch her in pain. "What do you want to do tomorrow?"

"I need to keep going with my uni portfolio. After my whole problem with regenerating, it fell behind. I'm nearly done though." She replied, seemingly fine with the whole regen thing in regards to having to change from Georgia, which was a name she'd wanted to keep up until that driver had hit her, then suddenly discovering that she had her weird bone blades, and now an amazing driving ability. "But then, you pick, I don't really mind. Look, I really, I should be fine to get myself to sleep, I need to take my next dose of pills anyway."

We both paused outside her door and I got forced into a proper hug from her. "If you need me, you know where I am."

She nodded, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears again, that little habit she had always had unless she was feeling shy. "I always know where you are. And I will always need you. Girls always need their dads."

Oh, Galaxy... "Love you, Gee."

"Love you too, Dad." She smiled, going into her bedroom. "Night."

"Night." Then the door was closed and I took the machine back out of my pocket as I walked away, feeling better now that I'd told her, but I also didn't want her to remember the amount of heart operations she went through, all the pain of the War, or watching Libby get killed. Getting told by Missy before hand, that she was really the daughter of the infamous son of the Master and a human, but was adopted by the least liked Renegade since Omega.

The handheld was still locked in my hand, DNA coded to a Masters like Missy or Galaxy Kaster. But there was something that I could do, to prevent her ever feeling all that pain she went through as a younger kid. Which I did when I got back to the console room, snapping it in half and then sonicking it blank. "Forgive me, love, but I won't see you in so much pain again..."


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Galaxy:

Oho, this was going well. I was enjoying this, even if Father was not. At least Clara was on my side, though she was a bit off recently, ever since I regenerated really. "What's wrong? You're not happy. Why aren't you happy? Tell me." Father asked the TARDIS, still playing that everything was fine. Not like I didn't know what he did.

"Come on! we're on a roll!" Clara told him as I played with the end of my ponytail, dip dyed blue which had thoroughly annoyed my father. Like he could talk, though I was planning on swapping his shampoo for ginger hair dye for kicks. "Monsters, things blowing up. Oh, hey, can we go back to that place where the people with the long necks have been celebrating New Year for two centuries? I left my sunglasses there."

Which made me laugh, putting my arm over her shoulder. My best friend... "And most of your dignity, funnily enough."

Father wasn't actually paying attention. "Why have you brought us here?"

Would be good if I actually knew where we were, then I could potentially help. "Here being?" I asked, shutting the TARDIS door behind us.

"Underwater. Some sort of a base." I could see that, Father. "The technology's twenty second century. Maybe military, maybe scientific."

"Is there a crew?"

"Must be, somewhere, if there's oxygen."

We started to walk down the corridor, Clara getting a little weird again. "I want another adventure. Come on, you feel the same. You're itching to save a planet, I know it."

Father smiled a little behind her back, thinking I didn't see, but I just found it weird. It was more than Danny, more than losing me, however briefly. I hadn't told her yet, hadn't had the guts to. I knew I should. Should tell her that I only gave father a decoy, and I had the real one.

In the Mess Hall, there was a big mural of a dragon or serpent threatening some men in a small wooden sailing boat. Their garments looked suspiciously like ST:TNG, including the colours. "Dad, look at this."

"Well. Looks like you got your wish."

"Food fight?"

I twanged a knife in the wall, Father looking back at us. "I think there was more to it than that. Whatever it was, it happened pretty recently." Then stuck his finger into a cup of liquid. "Seven or eight hours ago. No bodies, though. Gee, game?"

Oh... Um... "Mass Effect, I think. The Andromeda one, so let me know if my mouth goes weird and so does my audio. Might give me better access to computers though, if I have a SAM implant or similar."

"If not, play a game on your phone, we may need help here." Nice. What had you ever done without me?

Clara had been looking at some shelves. "And they took provisions. Okay, so something or someone forced the crew to abandon the base. Maybe they went for a swim in the creepy flooded village outside." Which just so happened to be outside. Maybe Abzu would have been a better game, I could swim underwater. "Oh, yeah. You see, this is more like it." Then for some reason wanted a high 5? What? "Oh, come on. Don't leave me hanging."

We just walked off and left her, my new little handheld scanning around. It had sonic capabilities now, and it was far less conspicuous to carry that around over a screwdriver. "Look. Told you. Crew." Some guys facing the other way, squatting. "Hello, sailors!"

Before I could roll my eyes at my father, the figures stood and turned, their lips moving. OK, didn't like that, should have played Shadow of Mordor, then I could have been a Necromancer. Fucking ghosts! "Right, I did not expect that. Hands up who expected that." They all walked forward, but stopped without moving to do anything else. "Wait, wait. I don't think they're going to hurt us. I think that they're just curious."

The alien one stood nose to nose with Father, while the hunky dude looked down at Clara. They didn't seem to notice me, weirdly. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I mean, define sure." I shrugged, carefully pulling my scanner up to have a look at them myself. "Look at you lovely chaps. What's happened to you, then?" And they just walked off, muttering to themselves in a way we couldn't hear. "Come on."

Clara looked at us as I kept scanning, not finding anything. Annoyingly. "What are they?"

"I haven't a clue. Isn't that exciting?" Father, it was annoying. That was all. It was annoying.

We headed through into the main hangar room, the doors closing behind us before my best friend looked rather confused. "Where did they go? What is it, some kind of submarine?"

Really? That was obviously not human, humans couldn't keep anything white clean. "No, it's alien. You guys go on, I'm going to interface with the controls over here."

So they went inside the ship as I kept trying to hack into the console, using the implant that I'd gotten to get in there. Sarah Ryder, thank you very much for being an awesome female protagonist, and Mass Effect, you were a great game. "Um, f, dad?" I called, frowning as the weird see through people appeared again. "They're back."

"Hello!" He smiled rushing back from the ship as I downloaded things from my implant to the scanner. "Did you want to show us this? It's very nice."

"Wait, are they saying something?" Now the big dude took a fire axe from the wall, dragging it when it was too heavy. Oh, OK, maybe playing a ghost game would have been better so I could exorcise shit. "Okay, they now appear to be arming themselves."

I nodded, standing in front of them both. "Yes, I spotted that, too." The other one, the Tivolian, had taken a harpoon gun. "Was it something Clara said? She does that. We once had an argument with Gandhi!"

And we only just dodged the axe, making me go to kick them, but of course they were ghosts so I just kicked right through. "Bugger. I'm starting to see why the crew did a runner. Peg it!"

So out we went again, me going last as I shoved Father out, mostly because I wasn't the one they seemed to be attacking. They were fast, getting close to reaching Clara at a point, but then we made a break for where the crew were hiding out at the bottom of a corridor in a special locked room. Boring, but the creatures I was staring out at were rather interesting. "What are you?"

They left and I started to look through my handheld, but the room was messing it up. Stupid Faraday Cage. "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?"

"This is Clara, then there's my daughter Galaxy Kaster, and I'm the Doctor." Queue psychic paper. There were far better ways to ensure the false identities. Like made fake ID's so you knew what the paper would say.

"You're from UNIT."

Not really, Kate personally rather annoyed me. She did keep trying to bug my phone, but it wasn't working, I could hear it and took it out. It paid to play Watch Dogs. "Well, if that's what it says."

"I'm Pritchard, this is Bennett."

A girl was really excited to meet Father. "O'Donnell! Are you really the Doctor? I'm a huge fan! I mean, er, you know Nice work." Wow. Father had a fan club.

Another man waved a little, before using sign language. "Tim Lunn, I sign for Cass."

"Tell me, what about those things out there?" I asked, folding my arms as I tried to remember how I spoke before. It was getting a little difficult to keep pretending, what with myself being a psychopath. "What are they? Why are they trying to kill us?"

"Well, they're er, they're ghosts."

No. "They're not ghosts."

"Cass is saying"

Father tried to establish himself as the smartest in the room. Nah. "Thank you, but I actually don't need your help. I can speak sign. Go ahead." And signed her reply. "No, no, actually, I can't. It's been deleted for semaphore. Someone get me a selection of flags."

I rolled my eyes. "She said one of them was her previous CO. The other guy is a Tivolian, from Tivoli. They're rather annoying."

Bennett looked scared. "See? I told you he was an alien. Didn't I say that?"

"Weird thing is, they're not violent." Father told them, Clara taking my hand as she normally did. Loved Clara, she was definitely my best friend, but I was worried to tell her. What would her reaction be? "They're too cowardly. They wouldn't say boo to a goose. They're more likely to give the goose their car keys and bank details. When did they first appear?"

Excited Lady started to bounce on the balls of her feet. "Oh, did you see that spaceship in the hangar? Yeah, we found that on the lake bed and we'd just got it on board and one of the engines started up and then Moran got," Now she paused. "Moran was killed."

Lunn started to translate for Cass. "Then they appeared and pretty much straight away started trying to kill us. So we grabbed what we could and we were looking for somewhere to hide, and that's when we realised the ghosts couldn't come in here."

"What is this place?"

"It's a Faraday cage." I informed her, stuffing my device into my pocket, annoyed that I couldn't get wifi in here. The new Orphan Black was due. "Completely impenetrable to radio waves, and apparently, whatever those things are out there. So, who's in charge now? Dad and I need to know who to ignore."

Two people said Cass, while another man, who was holding business cards, stepped forwards and gave them to Father and I. "Actually, that would be me. Richard Pritchard, Vice President of Sub-aquatic Resources. "I represent Vector Petroleum. We've obtained the mining rights to the oil."

I flicked it back into his face. "No thanks. I'm against the collection of fossilised dinosaurs for the purpose of choking the planet to death. Where are we?"

Father did the same with his own card, though slightly nicer, as Bennett started to explain. "This used to be a military training site. There was a dam overlooking it, but the dam burst and the valley was submerged."

"Then twenty years ago, we discovered a massive oil reservoir underneath it."

Now the light brightened as the computer told us it was day mode. "Okay, it's morning. We can go outside now."

"Thank God for that."

"At last, we can get out of here."

Clara frowned at them. "Morning?"

One of them nodded, taking a towel from a hook. "Yeah, we're too far below the surface for daylight, so we have to demarcate artificial days and nights."

"I'd like to have a further look at that spaceship, my daughter is rather good with computers since playing Mass Effect" I was already good, thank you very much, "but what about those things that aren't ghosts?"

"Oh, it's all right. They only come out at night."

I rolled my eyes and leaned down to Clara. "Weird how that is not comforting." We started to walk back towards the hangar, my hair up in a ponytail as I wished that I'd gone with a wig for the day. They were great fun. "If whatever they are-" Corporate Monkey, Monkey for short, was adamant they were ghosts. "They're not ghosts. Have been trying to kill you, why haven't you abandoned the base?"

Monkey put his hand up. "That was my call. We've got about a trillion dollars worth of mining equipment here. We're not just going to abandon it." I glared at him. "What? If it all goes pear-shaped, it's not them that lose a bonus."

"It's okay. I understand. You're an idiot." Then hacked his account at Vector to donate half of that bonus to charity. "Come to mention it, why is there a Faraday cage on the base? Not that I mind, I'm prone to wandering off and I have a rather... Clever little mind trick that tends to take me over."

"It's the mining equipment." Bennett frowned at me, moving away from me to the other side of Corporate Monkey. "It runs on nuclear fission. The Faraday cage has been lined with lead to act as a shelter in the event of a radiation leak."

Fantastic. I was really going to enjoy being down here. "So, we are fighting an unknown homicidal force that has taken the form of your commanding officer and a cowardly alien, underwater, in a nuclear reactor. Anything else I should know? Someone got a peanut allergy, or something?"

Father and Clara were now going back onto the ship as I went back to my job at the controls, interfacing with the little SAM voice in my head. "Dad, I've boosted the sensors, it's a long haul, where's the suspended-animation? And there's no power cell."

"Power cell?"

"Monkey, two steps back or I'll play Assassin's Creed and slit your throat." I told him, not looking away from the holo-screen of data I'd ended up with in front of me. "The casing is empty, either way.

At which point Cass and Lunn started to have a vigorous discussion, Clara getting involved. "What's the matter?"

Lunn rolled his eyes. "She won't let me look inside the spaceship. She says it's not safe. I'm saying it's not safe out here."

"I imagine they're pretty valuable."

What was this twatt talking about now? "I'm not even interested in you, moron, what the fuck are you even on about?"

"I mean powerful. Those power cells." Ugh, just shut up and stay out of my way. You were gonna be the next to die anyway, that was obvious. "I imagine they're pretty powerful."

"Well, they can zap a vessel from one side of the galaxy to the other, so, you know, take a wild stab in the dark. Or, if you're up for it, let me take a wild stab in the dark at you."

Then I saw that Father was looking at me with a frown, so I closed my eyes and tapped on my leg for a moment, trying to calm myself down again. Oh, mother... Why did you do this to me? "And the missing one must still be out there."

I rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to snap his neck like a breadstick. Dammit, now I was hungry. "Yes, well, otherwise. Sorry, why is this man still talking to me? I don't play well with others."

O'Donnell shook her head at the head of the expedition. "We haven't removed anything. There hasn't been time."

Corporate Monkey then headed off as dad left the spaceship as well, clapping his hands together. "So what have we got? Moran dies, and then those things appear. They can walk through walls. They only come out at night and they're sort of see-through."

Father, please tell me this wasn't going where I thought this was going... "Dad, wait, you're not saying-"

He cut me off as he walked into the bridge room, decidedly not Star Trek annoyingly, because that would have been considerably better. "They're ghosts! Yeah, ghosts"

"You said there was no such thing." Clara pointed out, liking arms with me as usual. Clara was good, Clara was very good, she stopped me getting too homicidal. So long as we weren't playing GTA or Mario. "You actually pooh-poohed the ghost theory."

"Yes, well, well, there was no such thing as, as socks or smartphones and badgers until there suddenly were." The way the human race was going, there wouldn't be badgers soon either. Why were they obsessed with killing things? Not that I could talk, but that wasn't my fault. I had the capability, but I resisted the urge to kill on whims. "Besides, what else could they be? They're not holograms, they're not Flesh Avatars, they're not Autons, they're not digital copies bouncing around the Nethersphere. No, these people are literally, actually, dead. Wow. This is, it's amazing! I've never actually met a proper ghost."

Lunn spoke for Cass again. "Moran was our friend."

Clara now shot him a dark look. "The cards."

"Oh! Oh, right you are."

Only struggled to find the right one, so she took over, going past; I completely understand why it was difficult not to get captured. It was my fault, I should have known you didn't live in Aberdeen. I didn't mean to imply that I don't care. No one is going to get eaten / vapourised / exterminated / upgraded / possessed / mortally wounded turned to jelly we'll all get out of this unharmed. Then cleared her throat and handed him the next one.

"Ahem. I'm very sorry for your loss. I'll do all I can to solve the death of your friend slash family member slash pet." I glared at him and took the card back, shoving them all into his pocket. How come I was the Princess of Evil, yet I was better at social situations? "But don't you see what this means? Death! It was the one thing that unified every single living creature in the universe, and now it's gone. How can you just sit there? Don't you want to go out there right now, wrestle them to the ground and ask them questions until your throat falls out?

"What's death like? Does it hurt? Do you still get hungry? Do you miss being alive? Why can you only handle metal objects? Oh, I didn't know I'd noticed that. Okay, so they'll try to kill you, blah, blah, blah. What does that matter? You come back. A bit murdery, sure, but even so! Calm, Doctor, calm. You were like this when you met Shirley Bassey, and when Gee met Rhianna Pratchett." Because Tomb Raider was incredible, Father. "Okay. Question one. What is a ghost? Question two. What do they want?"

Then all the lights went out, O'Donnell getting to her feet quickly from where she'd been sat. "Whoa. Whoa, what's happening?"

Gladys, the name all annoying computer women were given, started to speak. "Good evening. Entering night mode."

"That's not right. We're switching back into night mode again. This can't happen! No, no, no!"

"Watch and learn, morons." I told them, moving her chair out of the way and I started to hack the system, before looking back at Father. "Go! Cloister Bell, I can handle this here, you stop her disappearing again!"

Him and Clara started to run back towards her as I kept hacking, barely touching the actual keyboard as I worked with the temporary SAM node I had in my head until I got close. Better safe than sorry though, didn't want any deaths of people I liked. Monkey was the only one there, to be honest. "Attention, all crew. This is Galaxy Kaster, your new Overwatch. The Drum has switched to night mode early so grab provisions and make your way to the Faraday cage." Everyone radioed in except for Monkey. "Corporate Douche Bag, you are unaccounted for. Contact the bridge or get to the Faraday cage immediately. Pritchard, contact the bridge or get to the Faraday cage!"

Bennett radioed in for me, getting provisions with Clara. Father was... Well, he liked to do what he told us not to. Wander off. "Gee, it's okay. Pritchard's in here!"

"Corporate Monkey, you moron." I sighed, my eyes seeing the numbers and I grabbed the ones that I needed for the codes. "Grab your stuff, we're locking down early. In case I can't get this back into day mode, which, actually, I'm fairly sure I'm close to... Come on..." And then I finished the equation, pushing back on my chair and swung around, clicking my fingers. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you let the gamer do the hacking."

Then had to stop as my chest suddenly started to pound, my human heart not enough to power my Time Lord body before Father was with me, holding me up as I struggled. "I'm here, just keep breathing, Galaxy Kaster, keep breathing. It'll stop in a minute, you know it will."

I hid my face in his chest for a moment, not liking that he was still so loving and caring towards me when I now knew he wasn't really my father, that my father was the Master. But at the same time, I had to know if he was still going to be like that if he knew how old I was, how long I spent with my other Father. "Yeah, yeah, I know..."

By the time it stopped, everyone was back in the main room with us, carrying the news that Monkey was now one of the ghosts. So, we watched his death on screen, Moran crushing him to death with water so his lungs were robbed of breath. "They're working out how to use the base against us." Father nodded, keeping me with him now after my heart decided to play up. "Altering the time settings so they can go about uninhibited, opening the airlocks. They're learning."

"And now there's three of them." Clara agreed, taking my hand tight.

Bennett, the fairly good looking one, looked at his boss expectantly. "Cass, what do we do?"

As usual, she spoke through her translator. "We abandon the base. Topside can send down a whole team of marines or ghost-busters or whatever." Father went to make a complaint. "I can't force you to leave, so you can stay and do the whole cabin in the woods thing and get killed or drowned, if you want. But my first priority is to protect my crew."

I looked at him expectantly, changing language so that no one else could understand. It was nice remembering that, the language I'd spoken from birth. "But we're coming back, aren't we? For starters, we can't get the TARDIS out otherwise."

"Yes, we're coming back, Gee."

"O'Donnell, contact Topside." Lunn told her, following Cass' instructions. "Tell them we're abandoning the base on my orders."

So she used a sort of field telephone as I kept a hand over my still throbbing heart. It wasn't even my biggest weakness, not in the long run. "Topside, Topside, this is Lance Corporal Alice O'Donnell from Drum Control. Over."

They got back right away. "Drum Control, this is Topside. We have received your message. Submarine on its way. Over." She asked them to repeat. "We've received your request for a rescue sub. It's two minutes away. Over."

"Topside, who did you speak to and when was this request made? Over."

"Drum Control, it was in Morse code and arrived maybe half an hour ago." That was actually ridiculous. They could only interact with things, not people, tapping against a bar they could have easily sent one. "Said it was urgent, comms were down, two crew members critically ill, full paramedic team requested. Over."

Now I snatched the handset. "Topside, this is Galaxy Kaster Pratchett, daughter of the Doctor, UNIT security visa seven one zero Apple zero two. You may be familiar with his work and know of me. Call back the sub."

That confused them. "Miss Pratchett, why would-"

People, listen, stop talking. "Call it back! We have a hazardous and undefined contagion on board. This base is now under quarantine."

And put the handset down, getting stared at by Bennett. "What did you do that for?"

"Well, none of us sent the message, did we?" Father pointed out. "So that means that the ghosts sent it, which means they want that crew down here."

"Why would they do that?"

"Well, I don't know, but I'm pretty certain it's not so they can all form a boy band." Some of the things he came out with... "Okay. We solve this on our own. The ghosts can only come out at night so they change the base's time settings. Why? What's different at night?"

O'Donnell shrugged. "It's mainly atmospheric. The lights are dim, the noise from the engines is muffled."

If there wasn't a difference, or he wouldn't have asked and I wouldn't have felt something strange. I'd hypnotise you if I had to. "No. Something, something else."

"The diagnostic sweep." Cass told us through Lunn. "When the systems are checked, that stops at night to save power."

That sounded promising. "What systems specifically?"

"Life support, the locks. They're electromagnetic. They have to be secured in case of flooding, so throughout the day, they're checked, one by one, every few seconds."

Maybe, that was a possibility. But if everything was flooded, they'd still have rather a lot of water to contest with to get to the surface, and whatever it was with the base would stop the signal to them, the thing that was holding them here. "The answer is in there somewhere, I can smell it."

"Dad, what are we doing?"

He looked at me expectantly. "Gee. Excellent work, returning the base to day mode."

Why did I know where this was going? "Why am I putting it back into night mode?"

Father shrugged. "We know nothing. We don't know what they want. That's what's getting us killed. Well, I won't run. Not any more. So, Galaxy Kaster, kindly put the base back into night mode. We want to know what these ghosts are after? We ask them. We're going to do the impossible. We're going to capture a ghost."

To which I got to be Overwatch again, sat in the bridge monitoring everyone. Father wasn't letting me run, not if my heart was already playing silly beggars. "Bennett and O'Donnell's got them moving, and Clara's in position, dad. Just keep swimming, Dory, best way to go."

I heard Clara laugh at that, Father stood at the big wall map and he was just looking at me. He didn't understand our love for Disney Pixar. Toy Story was the best. "Clara, Bennett and O'Donnell are going to run across the top of the T-junction to your right in about ten seconds. Draw the ghosts towards you. Turn right, and then take second left."

So Clara got their attention so the ghosts followed her, my blue dipped hair pulled back as I worked. "Lunn, they're coming your way. Clara's going to duck down to her left. You've got to keep the ghosts going on the same route they're on now." I told them, glancing back at Father who nodded. "Then, after about fifty yards on your left, there is a flood door. I'll close the door once you're through."

"I, I can hear them."

"Lunn, don't let them see where you go." Father told him, coming over to me as I gasped, hand over my chest all over again. Human hearts, they were too fragile. They weren't cut out for me, not with my lifestyle and abilities. "Hey, hey, hey, it's alright. We'll see about getting you another monitor for your wrist when we get back, so you can avoid the stress, and you're going to have to have all those machines back, Gee. We tried without, but you're getting worse again."

I nodded, enjoying the hug I was getting from him without asking. They were a rare occurrence. "I know. I just want it to stop...

Father went to say something in reply, but Lunn came through with a panicked voiced. "We've got a problem!"

Looking back at the screens, my heart lurched again as I saw the problem that he was talking about. "They've separated. Moran and the Tivolian guy are going after Clara." And clicked on her screen to make it bigger. "Clara, look out. Two ghosts are still on your case. Right behind you."

"I'm beginning to think we should have let the ghosts in on the plan."

"Clara, there's a flood door at the end of the corridor, around the corner to your right." Father told her, getting involved next to me, both of us moving quickly. "We'll close it from here. Listen to me. You've got to get through that door before Moran and the other ghost sees you."

And she only just managed it, letting me use my temporary implant to slam the flood door she was hiding through. The ghosts just passed right on by, thank God. Only Lunn wasnt quite so lucky as he got into his door, letting me close it quickly. His ghost was a little bit faster. "It saw me. Oh, God. It saw me. It's coming through. It's coming through the door."

I watched as it passed through the door, but I could get a feed from within there. "There isn't a camera in there." Then turned at looked at Cass as she went to leave, using just a tiny bit of hypnosis on her. People thought Mother was strong, they obviously hadn't met me, I didn't need to look people in the eye. "Lunn, can you hear me? Can you hear me? Lunn, what's happening?" At which point Corporate Monkey just turned and left. "Lunn, can you hear me? Lunn? Lunn? What's happening? Lunn? Lunn? Can you hear me?"

"I'm okay." He told us, coming slowly out of his hidey hole as father gave Cass the good news. "It didn't hurt me. I'm okay"

"What?" Father questioned, no longer interested in the deaf woman. "What's wrong with you? Why didn't it hurt you?"

Not important right now, really. "Bennett, O'Donnell, you're on again. Bennett, O'Donnell, where are you?" I got up the screen I needed, finding him in wait. "Guys, can you hear me? There are two ghosts just around the corner from you."

The man rolled his eyes. "Yes, thanks, I'd noticed."

"The Faraday cage is across the intersection and down the corridor to your right." Father explained to him, his pale blue eyes darting across the screens. "This last bit is down to you."

Now the others were back together, all three ghosts following him. "Okay, so, the good news is, they aren't split up any more. Cue Clara!"

So I turned on the holoprojector in my hand held, Clara appearing in the doorway of the Faraday Cage. The ghosts just walked in and throw her, before she turned back off and we remotely shut and locked the door. "Success. Come on, then, let's go meet the new tenants."

Father kept hold of my hand as we walked to have a look, putting on the sonic sunglasses as I retrieved my lovely little device. It was far too easy to fool him into believing I gave him the real one. "We need to talk. Sorry, chaps. Just a hologram. You play a little bit too rough." And then linked the video feed from the glasses into the bridge computers. "Cass, are you seeing this?"

"She says she can't see them properly." Lunn replied, while I got a photo of mother from where she was staying in Heathen Paradise. Vegas, of course. She wanted me to join her, but I still wasn't talking to her. She tried to kill my best friend. "The glass is too thick and they're too far away."

Fair enough, you could only fit a certain megapixel camera inside some sunglasses. "Open the door."

Which of course worried both father and Clara. Heh, that rhymed. "Gee, you can't go in there, they will kill you!"

"They don't have any weapons or access to any of the controls." I informed them. "They can't hurt me, and I'm the one with the computer brain so I could get a better reading on them, so open the door."

So they agreed and I got in there quickly and quietly, closing the door behind me afterwards. At which point Moran shoved his hand into my chest, not comfortable, and my heart ached from the strain. "Cold, isn't it? My heart. Take away your weapons and you're not so scary, are you?" Then shoved the camera into his face so the lip reader could see. "Is that better, Cass?"

"She says they're saying the same thing, the same phrase, over and over." Well that made sense, they were only basically programmed, no matter how high tech they were. "They're saying the dark. The score. No, the sword. The for sale? No, the forsaken. The temple." Huh. "Yes, she's sure. The dark, the sword, the forsaken, the temple. Just that. Over and over."

"Dark, sword, forsaken, temple." I repeated softly, tasting the words. "What does that mean? What are you telling me, big man?"

Only father seemed to work it out as I slowly backed up towards the door again. "Bennett! I need maps. I think I just worked out what our friend here is telling us." And stood in the bridge for a good 10 minutes as he assured it, before looking up at us with a scary grin. "They're coordinates."

Bennett was confused. "How can they be coordinates?"

Why were humans normally this stupid? Clara was far better. "The dark? Space. So, whoever's following the coordinates knows they're going to another planet." Father tossed an apple to Bennett, a knobby ball to O'Donnell, a table tennis ball to Clara and a Vector Petroleum place mat to me, and made us hold them up in a diagonal line.

"The Sword? Orion's sword. The sword, the three stars, although one isn't actually a star but the Orion Nebula, hanging down from Orion's belt." Father... "But if viewed from back here, the Earth becomes the fourth bit of the sword. So, narrowed it down to a planet now. Getting closer." Then took the things back and put them on the map table. "The forsaken. The forsaken or abandoned or empty town. See, it's a location, beaming out to someone or something across the universe, over and over. And every time they kill one of us-"

Clara nodded, reasoning it out. "It strengthens the signal. Another ghost, another transmitter."

O'Donnell was working it out as well. "Which is why they sent for that rescue sub."

"Get more people down here, kill them, make even more ghosts to beam out the coordinates." I agreed, my fingers on my neck to test my pulse. Too fast and hard. I was on my way to cardiac arrest today, and I'd not even had caffeine. "I don't think it's a distress call. Maybe a warning though. Might even be a call to arms. It could mean, come here, they're vulnerable, help yourself."

"Wait a minute, though. Wait a minute." We were waiting, Father. "Do you know what this means? It means that they're not a natural phenomenon. It means that someone is deliberately getting people killed, hijacking their souls and turning them into transmitters."

His number one fan was confused again. "But what do the coordinates lead to, though? To us? To the ghosts? What?"

He got excited again. "Ah! What the coordinates are for. That is part of the answer to the other question you're all thinking." Everyone gave him blank stares besides me. I wasn't an idiot. "Really? Come on. None of you? Surely just being around me and Gee makes you cleverer by osmosis? What is the other question?"

Cass worked it out, speaking through Lunn. "The temple. The fourth part of the directions. What's the temple?"

"Finally. It's like pulling teeth." Little bit, but that could be more fun. "This is the flooded military town. Shops, houses, town square, and this."

"A church?"

I nodded in agreement. "Whatever the coordinates are for, it's in that church. Find that and you're a hop, skip and a jump to stopping them."

Scaredy Cat, Bennett, was staring at us in shock. "Wait, you're not suggesting that? But we're safe now. The ghosts are in the cage. We can get out of here."

"No one has to stay." Father informed him. "In fact, I would prefer it if you went. You'll all get in the way and ask ridiculous questions. But, you know," indicating Cass, Lunn and O'Donnell, "you have chosen to protect and serve." Now Scaredy Cat as well. "You have given yourself to science and the pursuit of knowledge. None of you have chosen anonymous or selfish lives. Go, and a part of you will always wonder, what would have happened if I'd stayed? How could I have helped? What would I have learned? I want you to go. But you should know what it is that you're leaving."

I raised an eyebrow at him, swapping language again. "You're really into mind fuckery today, aren't you? I thought that was Missy's thing?"

Lunn looked at his boss, translating her signs for those who couldn't understand for themselves. "Cass says we should go, but everything that happens here is her responsibility now, so she's going to stay. So I, er, guess I should too."

"Well, count me in." O'Donnell beamed, just excited to be working with Father. "Who wants to live forever, anyway?"

"Sorry, er, have you gone insane? We can go home." The girl he quite blatantly fancied did a one shoulder shrug and grinned at him. Which one him over. "They're ghosts, though. How can they be ghosts? Well, at least if I die, you know I really will come back and haunt you all."

So he set up a drone sub, using VR goggles and remote control gloves to steer. "Okay, the sub is approaching the town square. Which way is the church?"

Number One Fan was on computers as I sat sketching at the table, drawing the last thing I ever saw of my adopted mother, Libby. Her dead body in the ruins of our house, my tower crumbling as I ran down the stairs with a single bag of belongings, my sketch pads and my cat. Mother probably still had them, apart from the cat. Dagda unfortunately died. "North-north-west, one hundred and fifty yards. That's it. Starboard two degrees."

Clara, stood arms folded next to me, looked at Father. "What are we looking for, exactly?"

"Something that has the power to raise the dead and turn them into transmitters." I replied, my hair breaking free of the band so I just took it all out and shook it into a lions mane of blonde and blue. "I expect we'll know it when we see it."

"Wait, I've found the church."

"That's it, keep going." Father agreed, his eyes fixed on a large white casket amongst the debris in the church ground. "Wait. What's that? Move closer."

I moved closer, hiding the drawing away in my bra before using the implant in my head to make the image bigger for myself. I'd have to play Mass Effect again, this was a great way to work with computers. "Suspended animation. Bring it in."

He did as he was told, getting it back into the main hangar, where the original ship was still waiting with its deadly message. "So the pilot could be in there."

"There's something inside there." Father agreed. "But it's deadlock sealed. I can't open it, not even Gee could." Give me some time. "It should be the pilot, it should be. So why do I think it isn't? More questions. Everything I solve, just more questions. I have to go back to the beginning. We arrive, we see the ghosts. They don't kill us. They lead us here, they show us the spaceship. Then they try to kill us." Then went back to look at the symbols again. "Not translated by the TARDIS. Why?"

I shrugged, looking at the box, trying to let my mind reach theirs. Shielded. "Not a clue, dad. I can't find a signal in here, it's hard."

Father shook his head as he then came back out, looking at Cass, talking to her translator. "Lunn, translate for me. Whenever Galaxy and I step outside, you are the smartest person in the room. So, tell me, what's weird about this? I know that it's all bonkers but, you know, when you think about it, one thing keeps snagging in your mind. What is it?"

She got it, while I didn't. "The markings on the inside of the spaceship."

"The markings on the inside of the spaceship." He repeated, then grinned. "Yes! Why?"

"I don't think they're just words."

Well words weren't just words. Words always held meanings, then more and more meanings the deeper you went down. "They're not. They're magnets."

Scaredy Cat blinked. "Magnets? How?"

Not entirely sure, let's see if I could make it up on the spot. I was definitely the Doctor's daughter, even if it wasn't by blood. "Well, a localised and manufactured electromagnetic field, to be precise. The dark. The sword. The forsaken. The temple. When you heard the coordinates for the first time, did anyone expect them not to be that?" Even Father was staring at me. "You already knew, somehow. Like the words were already in us."

"So that writing is the coordinates?"

"Everything we see or experience shapes us in some way. You're talking to a girl who's brain hypnotises itself to adapt to each and every video game she plays. I've been an Assassin, I've been a Mario Kart driver, and right now I'm a Pathfinder. But these words actually rewrite the synaptic connections in your brain. They literally change the way you are wired. Clara, why doesn't dad have a radio in the TARDIS?"

She frowned a little, looking at the man who now looked sheepish. It wasn't even his radio. "He took it apart and used the pieces to make a clockwork squirrel."

Father was definitely now in my wavelength. "And because whatever song I heard first thing in the morning, I was stuck with. Two weeks of Mysterious Girl by Peter Andre. I was begging for the brush of Death's merciful hand. Don't you see? These words are an earworm. A song you can't stop humming, even after you die."

Clara was wandering a little, her hair in a little ponytail that I flicked every time she got too near to me. "Okay, so, the spaceship lands here. The pilot leaves the writing on the wall so whoever sees it, when they die, they become a beacon of the coordinates, while he slash she slash it snoozes in the suspended-animation chamber-"

"Waiting for his slash her slash its mates to pick the message up." I finished, Father giving me a proud nod. I was doing this for him, fighting the life I'd had with my biological Father slash Mother. "My God. Every time I think it couldn't get more extraordinary, it surprises me. It's impossible. I hate it. It's evil. It's astonishing. I want to kiss it to death."

Now an alarm sounded, Gladys starting to talk again. She was worse than the women on the buses. "Attention, all crew. Evacuate base immediately. Emergency protocols have been initiated. This safety message was brought to you by Vector Petroleum. Fuel for our futures."

O'Donnell and I ran to a touch screen in the wall. Nothing we could door, the Flooding had already been initiated. "Oh, no. The ghosts tampering with the day-night settings caused a computer malfunction. Its its first priority is to keep the reactor cool, so it's opening the hull doors and it's flooding the base."

Water was already gushing into the corridors. "Cass says, close the internal flood doors. That'll contain the water in the central corridor."

"Where's the TARDIS?"

"Where do you think?" I shot back, quickly fixing the laces on my Batman converse. "We need to get there. It's our only way out. We've got thirty seconds before the flood doors close."

So Scaredy Cat, Number One Fan and Father ran on ahead as I grabbed Clara's hand and I dragged her with me, knowing that I wouldn't leave without her. Everyone else could get stuffed, really. It paid off though, because it meant that neither of us had a chance to make it across the central corridor as the flood doors closed, trapping us with Cass and Lunn. "Dad!"

His hand pressed to the glass, reaching across to me, using what little telepathy he had to link to my mental powers. "Galaxy, I'll get you and the others out. Sit tight, I'll come back for you. Be careful, please. Your heart isn't strong enough for you to risk yourself."

"Just come over here in the TARDIS now. Dad, I... I can't run things this side, I really... She's still in my head at times." She was, but it wasn't her voice pushing me to do things any more, that was just a normal thought. "Dad!"

"The TARDIS won't go there, Gee. It won't go near the ghosts." No, no, no, no... I couldn't do this, I'd end up killing someone and liking it. "Listen to me, Galaxy Kaster. I'm going back in time to when this spaceship landed. If I can understand why this is happening, I can stop them killing anyone else. I can save you and Clara. You trust me, don't you, Gee?"

"You know that I do." I thought back to him, my eyes fearful for more of what I would do as water filled the middle compartment. "I just don't trust myself, dad."

"Just stay strong, Daughter. You're going to be fine."

He headed off with the others as I sighed and turned around, looking at Lunn, Cass and my best friend, before leading the way back to the mess hall. "You're sure they're not going to hurt us?"

I shook my head, docking my machine into the computer so rock music started to play. "They can't get out of the Faraday cage."

Cass then had a question as well. "And you're sure the Doctor won't just leave us here?"

"For starters, I'm his only living child, he's going to come back for me."

That didn't help them so Clara tried. "Guys, look, this is how we roll. He's going to go away, come back and we'll have to listen to how he did it. Trust me, I feel sorry for Gee, she's the one who's related to him."

Only I flapped my hand at her to shut up, mostly because I still felt guilty for not telling her, but also because a figure was approaching the Drum through the water. "Is it Moran or Pritchard or the mole guy? How, how did they get out?"

"No, I don't think it's any of them." Clara replied as I walked forward. "I think it's a new ghost."

"What does that mean?"

Oh, Fucking Hell... "Something happened in the past. Somebody else must have... Oh, Father..."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

The Doctor:

Why was Gee being so weird all of a sudden? I thought that we talked everything through, she was still my daughter even if it wasn't by blood. And it wasn't even me she was being weird with, it was other people. I was probably over thinking it, it could have just been a side effect of her heart playing up. Oh, her heart...

"Where's Bennett?" I asked O'Donnell, waiting impatiently outside the TARDIS. "We need to get going."

"Oh, he's still throwing up." She replied with a shrug. "One small step for man, one giant bleaurgh."

So long as it wasn't all over the floor like that Disruptive Influence. "Oh, time travel does that sometimes."

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Somehow I doubt that Sarah Jane or Martha or Amy lost their breakfast on their first trip."

This was actually getting a bit strange. Did I have a biography out there or something? "You seem to know an awful lot about me."

"I used to be in military intelligence." Now there was another shrug. Why were people always shrugging? "I was demoted for dangling a colleague out of a window."

"In anger?"

"Is there another way to dangle someone out a window?" Fair point. Sounded like something Amy herself would have done. "What year are we in?"

So I wet a finger and held it up. "1980."

To which I got a nod of understanding. "So, pre-Harold Saxon. Pre-the Minister of War. Pre-the moon exploding and a big bat coming out."

Wait, what? "The Minister of War?"

"Yeah."

OK, whatever you say. "No, never mind. I expect I'll find out soon enough."

Now he finally got his arse in gear and came out of the TARDIS, closing the door. "Sorry about that. Had a prawn sandwich. Might have been off."

I highly doubted it, but sure, let's go with that. "Ah ha. Don't worry. Shall we go?"

They stayed behind for a moment as I walked on, before they caught up past the fake Russian shop fronts and a poster of Stalin. "Why have we gone to Russia?"

"Er, we haven't." I told him, looking around for the ship. "We're still in Scotland. This is the town before it flooded. The TARDIS has brought us to when the spaceship first touched down. But here and now, it's the height of the Cold War. The military were being trained for offensives on Soviet soil."

On the inside of the ship, parked ramp down in front of the Orthodox Church, the missing stasis chamber was still there and a wrapped mummy was lying on the other. "Oh, is that the pilot? My God, look at size of it."

"No, that's the body."

"What do you mean, the body?"

Hadn't I told them this part? I swore I did. Maybe I just thought it. "This isn't just any spaceship. It's a hearse."

"The suspended animation chamber's still here, and the power cells for the engine."

O'Donnell nodded at the blank white wall of the ship too. "And there are no markings on the wall."

Something told me it was just a matter of time. "Yet."

Now a Tivolian Man ran to meet us as we walked back down the ramp, carrying a briefcase, waving a white handkerchief. Brilliant. "Greetings!"

"It's him. That's the ghost from the Drum."

Then he got right within an inch of my nose, like he was very short sighted. "Remarkable. Oh, and humans, too. Albar Prentis, Funeral Director."

We got handed business cards, which obviously got thrown with me, but not before I saw the title. Albar Prentis Universal Funeral Director. May the remorse be with you. Fairly sure that was a reference of something, not sure what though. "You're from Tivoli, aren't you?" Bennett asked him.

"The most invaded planet in the galaxy!" He agreed with an annoying smile. "Our capital city has a sign saying, if you occupied us, you'd be home by now."

"Yes, I've had dealings with your lot before. I can't say I'm a fan. You're lucky my daughter isn't here."

That made him laugh. "No, we do tend to antagonise."

Which was far politer than the word I would use. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, yes. Of course." Then ran up the ramp. "This is the Fisher King. He and his armies invaded Tivoli and enslaved us for ten glorious years! Until we were liberated by the Arcateenians. But, thank the Gods, soon we'd irritated them so much, they enslaved us, too!" And another laugh. He was going to get punched before he was killed.

Bennett rolled his eyes. "My first proper alien, and he's an idiot." Uh, thanks for that, mate.

The Tivolian patted the mummy. "And now, in accordance with Arcateenian custom, I've come to bury him on a barren, savage outpost."

My fan frowned a little. "You mean the town?"

"He means the planet."

Now he ran back down the ramp to me. "Although, at the risk of starting a bidding war, you could enslave me. In the ship I have directions to my planet and a selection of items that you can oppress me with." That, that was... Wow. I didn't even know what to say to that.

"Listen, we've come from the future." I told him, just wanting this over and done with so I could go get Gee and Clara. "You're about to send some sort of signal. How do you do it? Is it a special pen?" I was for some reason confusing him. "The technology you use. The thing that wrenches the soul out of the body and makes it repeat your coordinates for eternity. Give it to me now, I'm going to take the batteries out."

"We don't have anything like that." And he laughed again. "Even this belongs to the glorious Arcateenians."

This was worrying. I really didn't like this. "So who sends the message?" He sniffed at me, before I swatted at him and we looked at the mummy on the slab. "Back to the TARDIS. I need to talk to Galaxy Kaster and Clara."

Then we went back to the blue box, before I dialled my daughter, seeing her face drawn and anxious. "Dad? Dad, are you all right?"

Why wouldn't I be? "Yeah, fine. So listen, the spaceship, it's a hearse." I told her, seeing both her and Clara now as they propped me up on something. Something had happened. "Clara, what's wrong?"

Gee couldn't say anything, blue eyes tearful, so Clara wrapped her arms around her before looking at me. "Another ghost has appeared."

Oh, no, no, no, no. "What? Who? Has someone died?"

"Doctor, it's you. She's terrified." Oh, Gee... "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Well, currently."

My daughter glared at me. "What does it mean?"

Surely that was obvious. "It means I die, Galaxy."

"No, not necessarily. We can change the sequence of events so-"

Why was she fighting this so much? She knew the laws, well, she had. But I hadn't taught them to her again, and she had no chance of getting those memories back from where I broke the device. "This isn't a potential future. This is the future now. It's already happened. The proof is right there in front of you. I have to die."

Her eyes were now more furious than angry, her hands trembling as she monitored her pulse through it. "No. You can change things. Don't you dare tell me otherwise."

"I can't." I insisted. "Even the tiniest change, the ramifications could be catastrophic. It could spread carnage and chaos across the universe like ripples on a pond. Oh, well, I've had a good innings." Then glanced at O'Donnell. "This regeneration, it's a bit of a clerical error anyway." Then looked back at my daughter. "I've got to go sometime."

"Not with now! You're my father, you're the only proper family I have besides a fucking psychopath who tries to kill everyone! You are not leaving me, at least not for a long time yet!"

Oh, Gee... My little Artist, "Galaxy Kaster, I need to talk to you just on your own." So we both picked up our handsets. "Listen to me. We all have to face death eventually, be it ours or someone else's. You've died before, you know this. You don't remember it, but you were in the middle of a war zone for the beginning of your life."

Her voice was thick, sounding so, so close to tears. "I'm not ready yet. I don't want to think about that, not yet. Please, dad. Don't go just yet."

"I can't change what's already happened. There are rules."

"Sod the fucking rules!" She snapped. "Break them. And anyway, we owe Clara. You've made yourself essential to us. You've given us something else to, to be. And you can't do that and then die. It's not fair. Without you, why should I stay away from her?" I tried to interrupt her, to say that she was better than both myself and Missy, but she was really not listening. "No. Father, I don't care about your rules or your bloody survivor's guilt. If you love me in any way, if I'm really your daughter, you'll come back. Dad, are you?"

Oh, there was no arguing with her like this. She'd made up her mind and she would rage if she didn't get me back. "I can't save Moran or Pritchard."

She sighed a little, probably counting in her head. "No, but like you said, if you can, if you can find out why this is happening, maybe you can stop them killing anybody else, you can save us. And you can stop it happening to you."

Well, lets see how well I managed to pull this off, shall we? "I'll do what I can, but the future has already happened. I do love you, Gee, you are my daughter, you have been since the moment I first held you." There was a pause, before I heard her sniff and knew that I'd probably get hit if I made her cry. "We've just met the Undertaker and he's still alive." Then we swapped back to the normal conversation, video back so I could see myself. "So. Ghost me. You've got a better view than me. How do I look? Any signs of trauma, any scars? Any clues as to how I die?"

"No, nothing." Clara told me, both of them moving closer to the glass to look. "You're the same as all the other ghosts with the weird black eyes and. No. No, wait. Your coat. It's torn. The right shoulder."

"I assume I'm just saying the same thing as the others."

Gee shook her head. "No. You're saying a list of names. Our names, mainly. Moran, Pritchard, Prentis, O'Donnell, Galaxy Kaster, Clara, Doctor, Bennett, Cass. Who's Prentis?"

Someone you'd have murdered by now. "Tivolian." Then the high tech phone got dropped on the table. "What's the matter, Gee, Clara, what's happening?"

"You've moved inside." My daughter told me, backing away once the phone was in her hands again. "You're inside here now."

"What am I doing?"

She seemed to be confused. "Er, nothing. You're, you're just standing there."

Strange. That was very strange. "I'm not trying to kill you? Why am I not trying to kill you?"

"No, wait, you're moving, going toward the control panel." Then Galaxy sounded very worried. "Oh, no. He's opened the Faraday cage. He's let the other ghosts out."

"I need to talk to me now."

Gee moved the phone to look at me, eyes colder as she most likely started to lose her temper. "Didn't you hear me? You opened the Faraday cage. The other ghosts are outside. Shouldn't we be hiding?"

Probably, but you weren't in immediate danger. "In a minute. I need to talk to the ghost me." She grumbled, but then did as she was told, putting me on a ledge. "Doctor. Such an honour. I've always been a huge admirer. This is really a delight. Finally someone worth talking to."

The familiar blue and blonde head moved into sight for a moment. "Just stay on fucking topic!"

I was getting there! "So firstly, why are you here?" I just turned away from myself. Brilliant, even I didn't want to talk to me. "Galaxy, what's happening?"

"Er. Er, you, you've just stopped." She told me, picking up her phone again. "Oh, no, wait, you've started again."

Lunn could be heard in the background, obviously translating for the lovely Cass. I liked Cass, she was good. "His message has changed. He's saying something different. He's saying-" Pause for everyone to say What. "He's saying, the chamber will open tonight."

"Girls, now the ghosts are out, go to the Faraday cage. They won't be able to get you in there." Damn, not even this connection would last in there... "Oh, there's a problem."

"Problem? What problem?" Clara asked, glaring at me through the camera. "Oh, really? Because everything else is going so smoothly"

Uh, I was trying to help you here, just be quiet. "The phone signal won't be able to get through. What you'll have to do, Gee, Clara, put the phone outside, and you can watch it through the little round porthole. And when you see it ringing, if it's safe to do so, go out and answer it." They tried to ask about length of time. "Girls, listen to me. Don't let that phone out of your sight. I need to be able to reach you, I need to know everything my ghost does. Do you understand? I'll come back for you. I swear."

Then signal was lost, making me pause for a moment, wishing like hell that my daughter wasn't running around and putting even more strain on her heart. She'd had a grace period, where nothing had gone wrong with it, but... Ever since Galaxy Kaster was just a baby, she'd been prone to heart murmurs and worse. The first time her heart stopped she was just 6 and I cried, thinking I was going to lose her.

That was the only time that I'd ever called him in for help, because she'd needed a transfusion after her surgery. The look on his face when he thought that Galaxy Kaster was dying... It was the same look that I'd had on my face. There was no doubt that the Master, Missy, did love her.

"Come on." I told them, before replaying the list in my head. Next on the list... "Oh, wait a minute. Not you, O'Donnell."

"Why not?"

Good point. What could I say that would work? "Someone needs to stay here and mind the shop. What if the girls call?"

Unfortunately, that didn't work. "The last bloke that said something like that to me got dangled out of a window."

Luckily Bennett was on my side. "Maybe the Doctor's right. Maybe it's best if you stay here."

"Never going to happen." I liked this woman, I just really didn't want her to be next. "Seriously, have you two met me?"

Then she just walked out of the TARDIS, leaving myself and the other man to exchange a look before following. Then we followed her, going back to look at Prentis, but he was lying on the bandages. No pulse. "Guess that dead body wasn't so dead after all."

"And now we've got the writing."

"The Fisher King did it himself." I agreed, wanting to fight what was coming for Galaxy, but it looked like I'd end up leaving her after all. "The future is still coming." Then followed the drag marks in the soil, looking to where it had been taken. "He's taken the suspended animation chamber to the church."

At which point there was a lovely big roar, telling us that he was most definitely awake right now. "What was that?"

What did you think, O'Donnell? "We need to get back to the TARDIS. Now!" We started to run, but a louder roar, closer than before, made us stop and ducked into a narrow passageway. "It's cut us off."

"Let's split up. Go on, Bennett."

She split off from us, running the other way so we ran into a fake bathroom at the other end. Bennett jammed a chair under the door handle, as if that was going to do anything.

Something big was stomping and roaring as it approached. It passed a broken window in the room where we were hiding, before it faded away. Only then there was another roar, making him rip the chair away and start to run. "No, Bennett! Wait!"

I ran after him, seeing that O'Donnell died in his arms, and he just looked at her body. "Who's next on the list?" He asked, finally acknowledging my approach as he lay her down gently, taking off his glasses and then stood face to face with me. "That list your ghost was saying, that's the order in which people are going to die, isn't it? I mean, I've only just figured that out. But you knew that all along, didn't you?

"I thought perhaps, because her ghost wasn't there in the future, like Prentis's was, I thought maybe, maybe it wouldn't happen." I replied sadly, wishing that I was wrong. Why couldn't I be wrong? Why couldn't I ever just give up? "Maybe she stood a chance."

"Yeah, but you didn't try very hard to stop her, though, did you? It was almost like you wanted to test your theory. So who's next?"

Someone I would never see die, someone that I would fight for until my dying breath. I'd thought I'd lost her once, I wouldn't let it happen again. "Galaxy Kaster."

He misunderstood why I was fighting even harder. "Yeah. Yeah. Except now you're going to do something about it, aren't you? Yeah, because it's getting closer to you. You change history to save yourself but not to save O'Donnell. You wouldn't save her."

"This isn't about saving me." I snapped, furious that he could think that as a father I could ever put myself before my child. "I'm a dead man walking. I'm changing history to save my daughter." He just walked away from me, the let me take him back to the TARDIS. "Big day for you. Time travel, twice!"

That seemed to surprise him. "Whoa, really? When are we going to?"

"Off the map. Out of the rule book. What if I don't die? What if I refuse?" I asked him, already planning how smug I was going to be in front of her because I was going to pull this off. "I'm going to go back to the base and I'm going to save Galaxy Kaster, because that's what I do. And I don't see anyone here who's going to stop me." Only as I moved us, the Cloister Bell tolled and we ended up in exactly the same place, just around the corner. "Why are we still here?"

Then realised we were back in time, because all three of us were walking out of the earlier TARDIS. "We've moved half an hour backwards. I'm locked in my own time stream. The TARDIS won't let me leave."

"Well, what do we do?"

"Now we have to keep out of sight, until time catches up."

We headed off, away from ourselves before we saw the undertaker taking sextant sightings, probably planning the best place of burial for his once king. "Prentis. He's alive."

Did he not understand how time travel and paradoxes worked? I thought he was clever, not just another idiot. "No, he's just not dead yet. And we don't tell him."

It didn't seem to be sinking in just yet. "Yeah, but he's right there. I mean, we can just"

"No!" Then I shoved him hard against the wall. "However that sentence ends, no, we can't. Save him, and you'll want to save O'Donnell. You can't cheat time. I just tried. You can't just go back and cut off tragedy at the root. Because you find yourself talking to someone you just saw dead on a slab. Because then you really do see ghosts. We don't tell him. Understand? Not a word. We don't have that right."

This time he got it and instead, we hid behind some metal barrels labelled toxic waste and watched the conversation we had half an hour ago. We watched ourselves walk away, Prentis going into the ship before I stared at my coat as we stood. It was torn. "Oh. I need more time. It's too soon. I haven't saved her yet. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock." What else was there that I could do? "I've got no choice now, I have to face the Fisher King. You, back to the TARDIS."

He did as he was told, before I set everything up that I needed, hoping like hell that this would work. Then I went back over to where the Fisher King was, pausing just outside the church. "Now I'm ready."

It wasn't a real church, but an old warehouse or similar with Orthodox Christian crosses on the roof. I went down a metal staircase to a storage area with metal support posts, spotting the suspended animation chamber lying open here, and the Fisher King himself stood only a few feet away from it, about three metres tall, with mandibles and spiky plate armour, and holding a large hand weapon. "I've come from the future. I've seen the chaos you cause. The bloodshed."

"Tell me what you have seen."

"Ghosts." He wasn't sure by my word choice. "Souls wrenched from the dead. Repeating directions to here, to this spot, over and over."

He considered me for a moment. "How many ghosts do I create?" Then got impatient when I didn't answer on his demand. He may be a King, but he was no King of mine. "How many!"

"Four that I know of. Maybe five by now. Probably more since I left."

This seemed to be good news to him, like it was part of his plan all along. "My ghosts will make more ghosts. Enough to bring an armada. Enough to wake me from my sleep."

Now he stomped towards me, making me certain of what I was doing. I could do this, I could save my daughter. "What will happen when your people arrive?"

"We will drain the oceans and put the humans in chains."

"This world is protected, by me and my daughter."

That just amused the Fisher King. "Yes. One man, lost in time and his broken daughter, with a heart too weak to survive. The seed of their destruction is already sown. They will die. The message will be sent. My people will come, and you and yours will do nothing to stop it, Time Lord. Time Lords. Cowardly, vain curators who suddenly remembered they had teeth and became the most warlike race in the galaxy. But you, you!" He moved quickly towards me, making me stagger back, bending backwards over the white box. "You are curious. You have seen the words, too. I can hear them tick inside you. But you are still locked in your history. Still slavishly protecting Time. Willing to die rather than change a word of the future. You will be a strong beacon, as I think your daughter also. How many ghosts can I make of you both?"

You would get nothing of the sort from my little universe! "You know, you've got a lot in common with the Tivoleans. You'll both do anything to survive. They'll surrender to anyone. You will hijack other people's souls and turn them into electromagnetic projections. That will to endure. That refusal to ever cease. It's extraordinary. And it makes a fella think. Because you know what? If all I have to do to survive is tweak the future a bit, what's stopping me?

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The ripple effect. Maybe it will mean that the universe will be ruled by cats or something, in the future. But the way I see it, even a ghastly future is better than no future at all. You robbed those people of their deaths, made them nothing more than a message in a bottle. You violated something more important than Time. You bent the rules of life and death. So I am putting things straight. Here, now, this is where your story ends."

The Fisher King growled at me, not knowing what I had already done to ensure that time up until now was ensured, but no one else would die. "There is nothing you can do."

Now I had a big energy weapon aimed at me, like that was really going to scare me. "I've already done it. The words have gone. I got rid of them. The future I saw, none of that will happen now. The message will never contaminate my friends or my daughter. No one will die. No one is coming to save you. That's the thing about knowing you're going to die. You've got nothing left to lose."

He shoved me aside and stomped away after that, giving me time to get into the suspended animation chamber. It was just a blink until I sat back up again, Galaxy stood at the head of everyone in the hangar, holding a broom to ward off the ghosts as well as whatever she thought was coming out of the chamber. "Don't kiss me. Morning breath."

"Father?"

I just jumped out of the chamber and beckoned them to follow me, taking them all to the bridge so I could put my shades into a handy socket on a console. Then let them hear the Fisher Kings roar, controlling the ghosts. "What's that noise?"

"It's the call of the Fisher King." I informed Clara, who I'd only just realised was on Gee's back. They were basically sisters by this point. "The call of their master."

The four human ghosts turned around at the sound and walked through a wall. "Where are they going?"

We watched on CCTV as all the ghosts walked into the Faraday cage, where my ghost was creating the Fisher King roar. Then I simply remotely closed the door and the ghost flickered out of existence. Done.

A little later, while I sorted out getting everyone marked by the words, Clara started to ask me questions, Galaxy Kaster sat cross legged in a sort of meditation state, trying to keep her heartrate down. "So what was it? Your ghost."

"A hologram. Like the one we made of you to lure the ghosts into the Faraday cage." I explained, slapping her hands away from the glasses as she went to take them off. "With a soupçon of artificial intelligence, and a few pre-recorded phrases thrown in." Now took them off her myself. "All beamed from the sonic glasses." She now swapped places with Cass, letting me do the same to her. "As soon as you brought me and the chamber on board, it connected with Gee's hypnosis and Bob's your uncle, you've got a ghost Doctor."

"Why did they only come out at night?"

I didn't need to answer that, because Gee spoke for me. "Because they're electromagnetic projections that were out of phase with the base's day mode. That, and I only interacted with the computers here at night, it was the only time that I could link myself into them with the SAM implant."

She was definitely my smart girl. "Right." I agreed with her, taking the shades off of Cass. "That's it. I've erased the memory of the writing. Though you might find you've lost a couple of other memories too. You know, like people you went to school with, or previous addresses or how to drink liquids." Galaxy rolled her eyes. "That's you two done. Where's Bennett?"

They told me as I went to have a look for him, finding him just outside the Faraday Cage, looking at the ghosts that had no idea who he was, but nearly all of them were once his friends. Someone that he fancied. "What will happen to them?"

"UNIT will cut out the Faraday cage with them inside and take it away." I explained to him, trying to be as tender and as kind as I knew how to be. I kind of lost that about myself, how to be kind to anyone beside my girls. "Then the space-hearse will be destroyed, so the writing doesn't infect anyone else."

"What do I do now?"

What did that mean? You did what you always did. "I don't understand."

"I do." Clara interrupted, having moved herself away from my failing daughter for the moment, the girl most likely trying to keep as still as possible so her heart could power her body. "You keep going. You have to. Take it from me, there is a whole world out there. A galaxy, a life. And I'm not just talking about Galaxy Kaster. What would O'Donnell have wanted?"

"I need to erase that message from your mind, but it's fine, I'll do it later."

And I walked away to give the humans some space, before he let me take away the message and I could carrying my now half asleep daughter back to the TARDIS. Once she was in there, I stuck a FitBit on her wrist to monitor her pulse and then injected her with some Beta Blockers.

"What will UNIT do with the ghosts?"

"Drag the cage into space, away from the Earth's magnetic field." I informed the girls, tucking Galaxy Kaster up in a pillow and a blanket on one of the chairs. "With nothing to sustain them, the ghosts will eventually fade away."

My daughter frowned at me, hugging the pillow as her head rested on part of the outer console. "Here's what I don't understand. You did change the future. You stopped the Fisher King from returning."

It was easy when you knew what you were fighting for. "The Fisher King had been dead for a hundred and fifty years before we even got here. But once I went back, I became part of events. But here's the thing. The messages my ghost gave, they weren't for you, they were for me. That list. Everyone after you was random, but you being the next name, love, that's what made me confront the Fisher King."

"And saying the chamber will open?"

Come on, how couldn't you work that out? "That was me telling me to get inside and when to set it for."

"Smart."

"Except that's not why I said them."

They both frowned, Clara getting down onto the floor in front of Gee. "How do you mean?"

Ah, the smell of paradoxes in the morning. "I programmed my ghost to say them because that's what my ghost had said. And the only reason I created my ghost hologram in the first place was because I saw it here. I was reverse engineering the narrative."

Clara nodded with a smile on her face, getting wrapped in the blanket as well. Something told me that they were camping in the console room with snacks this evening. "Okay, that's still pretty smart."

"You do not understand. When did I first have those ideas, girls?"

"Well, it must have been," the penny dropped for both of them. "Wow."

Now they had to deal with the mind bender that was the bootstrap paradox as well. "Exactly. Who composed Beethoven's Fifth?"


	20. Chapter Twenty

Galaxy

Father decided that it would be both safer and easier for me to get set up in my actual bed over staying in the console room with Clara. The machines were were already there and working, so it was just a matter of hooking me up to them, turning on the auto defibrillate and then putting in the air cannula in my nose. I would occasionally forget to breathe in my sleep, it was an ongoing issue.

Once he was certain that I wasn't about to die of cardiac arrest in my sleep, he kissed my head, said goodnight, then went off to do Father things. So, Clara, who had been told that she wasn't allowed to come in just in case she disrupted the machines, snuck in with two mugs of hot chocolate. "Oh, Gee..."

"It's not as bad as it looks." I told her with a weak smile, taking the air tube out so I had some more room to move over for her. "Besides, it's all just precautionary stuff. In case my heart stops, shit like that."

"Galaxy, you are currently plugged into three different machines just for sleeping and you're on constant heart meds. Let me fuss over you, you're my best friend." She insisted, sitting next to me on my cushy bed. "Your favourite hot chocolate, with the hazelnut syrup, whipped cream and marshmallows. Single most relaxing drink ever without putting the Baileys in it. I don't care what Mr Grumpy Says, when one of us is in need of the other, we stay together.

She was good. Very, very good. Unfortunately, the powers I had were better and allowed me to see body language and deduct things. Like Sherlock and Criminal Minds. Loved a bit of Dr Reid did I. Basically, it meant that I could see she had worked out there was something that I wasn't telling her and wanted to know. I wanted to tell her, I really did...

"Clara, you won't like it. Really really won't, and I don't want to tell you and have it change everything. Because it will, I know that it will and it will hurt both of us, and Father, and-"

She looked at me hard, like she was trying to stay calm for the both of us. "Galaxy, you are my best friend. You can tell me anything and it will not change a thing. You're scared to tell me. Why are you scared?"

Suck it up, Gee. You were the daughter of Missy and the Doctor, you could so do this. "The Doctor, he, he's not my real Father. I was adopted."

"Right... So, what does that have to do with me? Surely that was a bigger shock for you, Gee?"

"I know my real parent. The only one that actually matters. And... You know her as well." I whispered, my monitors beeping faster and louder as my heart thudded in my chest. But it wouldn't hurt anywhere near as badly as if Clara hated me for being the daughter of the woman who caused the death of her boyfriend. "My birth name was Galaxy Kasterborous Solitude Serenity Vivienne Minerva Masters."

There was a moment of confusion in her face, before she replayed it and got the ending. Masters. Master. The Master, who was now the Mistress. "You're the daughter of Missy. Missy was your father before hand, and now she's your mum. That's why she was so obsessed with you, because she's your parent. Oh, my Stars."

I grabbed her hands, trying to keep her looking at me as she struggled to comprehend the information that had just been thrown at her. "I'm not her. I am not my mum. No matter what, she might be my biological parent, but I was raised by the Doctor. To me, the Doctor is my father and he was so incredible with me. He'd come home and see me every weekend, we'd sit in my sanctuary and we'd paint his adventures from the week. No matter what she did to me when we were together, what she taught me, I always kept that mentality that I was his daugher and I was completely in control of my own actions. Please, Clara, don't hate me."

Her eyes moved back to me, dark brown and full of compassion, and a little hurt that I could think something like that. "Galaxy Kaster, I could never hate you. What I'm confused about is why your dad thinks that you're still in the dark about your memories. He told me that you decided you didn't want to know."

"I had to know if he was telling me the truth when I asked about it. I had to know if Missy was telling the truth when she said that I loved her. And I do, she's my mum." I nodded, touching my chest as I felt the electrical charge in the sticky thing, trying to shock my heart calm again. It felt weird if you were awake, but it was better than going into full cardiac arrest. "But it's like being raised by someone, having them die when you were 16 and then being taken in by a weird lady that likes to be slightly homicidal. You were still raised by the person who taught you right from wrong. You can love them while still knowing that they're bananas."

"Did you ever do it? Do it all with her?"

Honestly? I knew that I at least came close. It was hazy in places. I remember their obsession with Cybermen, that was a long love affair, and I remember pain. Pain like nothing I'd ever felt before. "Part of it. I don't remember ever killing anyone, if that helps. And you know that I had nothing to do with Danny, I tried so hard to help you save him. I'm still me. I'm still your bat shit crazy best friend, I'm still Galaxy Kaster."

To which she looked at me hard for a moment, my blue eyes looking into her incredible brown. Then she hugged me tight, until my machines screamed at any rate. "I wouldn't have thought any different anyway. Since I've known you, you've been a shy little kid, a bad ass assassin, an expert Pathfinder and an incredible person in general. Whoever you were before me, that's not who you are now. Who you are now is what matters. You shouldn't be scared of what you can't remember."

"As touching as that is, Clara, you're not supposed to be in there, so you can get out and go to bed." A voice told us, making us look at the tv against the wall, where dad was looking at us from the console room. "Galaxy Kaster, you knew full well that you can't share a bed when you're connected to those machines."

"But daaaaaaaad!" We chorused.

DW

"OK, I slipped some herbal sleeping tablets in his drink, he'll be out in about 2 minutes." I laughed, having gotten up to 'talk' to him and get a drink of my own. "He's got a habit of leaving them where I can reach, and this is not the first time I've done this."

Clara laughed at that as we booted up Mario Kart on my Wii, both of us with the steering wheels. "Are you seriously telling me that if you play this game then you're going to be an award winning go karter?"

I nodded, tying up my hair because the Karts of Mario were no laughing matter. It was time to get serious. "Father and I tested it. I was amazing. Which, given that I can't actually drive, is pretty awesome if I'm honest. Do you drive?"

"You know I drive. But I also suck at this game, so I swear if you put on Rain-" I'd already selected the track that she was about to tell me not to. "You bitch. This is the hardest track in the entire game!"

"It's also on 250cc, and I'm on a bike. So, let's see how this goes." I laughed, clicking my fingers before the countdown started to tick. "If I win you so have to do a shot."

"But if I win, you can't take a shot because you don't drink. You can't drink, you're on several types of heart medication." She complained as she failed miserably to get the boost start, stalling, before trying to stay on the road beside all of the CPU's. "Oh, you sonofabitch!"

Which of course made her more desperate to win, trying dirty tactics to get me to fall off. I did, because it was impossible to not do it at least once on this map, but I still managed to get across the finish line a good 5 seconds before she did. I always played Toad, and she was Cat Peach. Because cats. "So, pick your poison and drink."

She picked Disaronno, not surprising as I knew the stuff was glorious, before we ended up playing several more rounds until Clara was actually too drunk to be able to hold the controller the right way up. "OK, you're cut off."

"Noooo. But I can win this one!" And picked up what she thought was the right controller, until I pulled the cord. It was the one for my Playstation. "OK, you're right. Bed!"

"Agreed." I smiled, hooking myself back up to the machines, before making sure that if I needed to be shocked in the night that Clara wouldn't be herself. She'd been a little off recently, and I knew that she was still struggling with her cold from Christmas, like it was deep routed into her chest. She was good at trying not to worry us, but I knew people. "Clara, are you alright?"

My best friend nodded, hugging me in the bed as I felt my eyelids grow heavy, the warmth of both Clara and my duvet lulling me into the safe world of sleep. "Yeah, I'm fine, Gee-K." This fucking nickname... "I'm all good. Always all good. This is why I never drink, Galaxy Kaster."

I laughed at that, secure in my mind that my best friend didn't hate me for telling her the truth, that she knew that it wasn't me who was evil, it was Missy. I was a raging psychopath myself, but I could stop myself half the time. There was a line I knew I couldn't cross, at least not any more. "Clara?"

"You need sleep, Gee. What?"

"Don't tell my Father that I've got my memories back. Please?"

That sobered her a little, propping herself up on one elbow to look at me. "Why not? Why haven't you told him yourself?"

How could you tell your pacifist father that you remembered watching your mother kill to see the funny expressions, finding them funny as well? He'd want to know what I remembered, he'd want me to tell him everything and he'd look so disappointed in me. I spent so long with her, trying to remember that I wasn't the sort of girl that enjoyed watching death, that I cried when I read stories about dead animals, or if there was a game where I had to kill an animal.

It would break his hearts to know that his daughter was really a great deal more like her mother/father than he initially thought.

"Because he wouldn't understand." I told her, not able to look her in the eye. "Please, just don't tell him. Promise me that you won't."

"Sure. But you're going to have to tell him eventually. He is going to notice if you have even more chaotic tendencies." She yawned, before cuddling me, letting me do the same to her. "Now sleep times, Galaxy Kasterborous Solitude Serenity Vivienne Minerva Pratchett."

I narrowed my eyes at her, annoyed that she was now going to use my ridiculously long name at all opportunities just to wind me up. I'd have to get back at her by calling her Oswin. "I hate you."

"I know, I know."

Clara drifted off faster than I did, that alcohol buzz helping her just go unconscious as I lay awake for a little while. Thinking.

Thinking was dangerous when you had an Angel and a Devil on each shoulder. And it was hard to know which was which. Mum?

I was wondering when you'd call out. You chose to remember. How did he take it? I stayed silent, not knowing how to reply to that. Oh. You haven't told him, have you, my Little Universe?

Would you have? You know him even better than I do, mum. You know what I did with you and you know how he would take that. Where are you now?

Not really sure. Not sure I should really be telling you, either. Never know if you're telling him things.

My mother. The woman who wouldn't even trust her own daughter. I haven't even told him that I remember, do you really think that I'm going to tell him that I'm still talking to you? Given that you tried to kill my best friend on many an occasion?

That made her laugh a little, because to her killing was funny. It was kinda amusing to watch at times, if it was a cool way to die. Like being drowned in maple syrup and then burning the body. But we were mostly doing that because the local animals needed food and we wanted them to have a gourmet meal. It made sense at the time, don't ask.

My Little Universe, do you really think that you're going to be any good at not laughing when people die? At keeping a straight face as someone begs for their life? Mum asked, sounding half asleep herself wherever she was. You're my daughter, Galaxy, you know this. You know there is no use trying to be anyone different.

She thought that she knew exactly who I was. How could she when she had only tried to make me just like her? I wanted to draw the universe, no just destroy it. The art and the poetry. It was beautiful and it was sad and we had no real right to change it. It was like if someone died for a purpose, something that they truly believed in. We would have no right to change who they were to bring them back to life.

Good night, mother.

Good night, daughter. I love you.

I love you too.


	21. Chapter TwentyOne

The Doctor:

One girl was in the middle of a battle fleet, draining the weapons and the other was currently asphyxiating in space. Today was going brilliantly, as I was trying to save them both at once, while towing said war ship into the middle of dead space. "Dad!"

"Yes, you're the very next thing on the list, Galaxy Kaster." I told her as bits of the TARDIS console exploded. "Clara, keep running straight, there's an airlock right ahead of you."

My daughter was really having trouble. "Father help me!"

"Gee, I'm under attack from four and a bit battle fleets, while your best friend is trying to sort our turning all the weapons off. In case you think I'm slacking."

She wasn't actually listening. "Dad, I think there's something in my space suit."

Didn't surprise me, really. She played a game where she had a stamina bar last, so she slowed down quite a bit towards the end. I told her to play Wii sports. "Yes, that's possible, actually. You were too long in the spider mines." That did not really help her. "It's possibly a Love Sprite. Sucks your brain," pause for something else in front of me to explode, "sucks your brain out through your mouth, hence the name."

"It's halfway up my leg."

"Don't worry, it's just hungry. Clara, point the sonic, use setting four, I'll catch you." Then went back to Galaxy Kaster. "Describe the four most interesting stars you can see."

Galaxy hesitated while she looked at her surroundings. "There's a blue one, quite big. Two little yellowish ones just below."

Ahhh, right, so she went a little far from where she was supposed to be. Of course, she was my daughter. "Colour of whisky, smaller one blinking?"

"Yes! It's on the back of my neck, I can feel it."

Well, that was a relief. "Great! I thought asphyxiation would kill you first." Then went back to Clara. "Can you see a nebula? Can you see a nebula in a sort of wing-shape? Bit green at the end?"

"Yes! Yes, I can. They've found me, Doctor!"

"Great, I've seen it too. I wondered where it was."

Then moved the TARDIS to both catch Clara through the doors as she got sucked out by the airlock, before materialising around my daughter before she got the life sucked out of her by the sprite. Clara helped me to yank off her helmet, then I could stomp on the Love Sprite repeatedly until it was dead.

Clara was right on my back as well, Gee taking a moment to breathe and catch her breath. Her little wrist monitor was beeping like mad, making me awkwardly wrap my arms around her, knowing that physical contact was good for your heart rate, no matter what species. Her heart was always a worry for me. "How did we do?"

Thanks for that. "Oh, not a word about my spot-on materialisation skills."

"What about all the Velosians?" She asked, not even checking on her best friend. "Are they safe?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, I lured their attackers halfway across the universe while you drained their weapons banks." I told her, my daughter nodding after a moment, her hearts slowing down again. "Not to mention, I also saved an art student from having her brains devoured and being asphyxiated in deep space. So, now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go outside and wipe my boot on the grass."

Then headed out of the doors, both girls following as Galaxy Kaster enjoyed a nice big lung full of fresh night air, the sound of crickets around us. "What's to stop them re-arming and trying again?"

Not much, really. Hopefully common sense, but there didn't seem to be a lot of that left in the universe. "Nothing. But the Velosians will be ready for them this time." She just looked at me. "It's the best I could do, Clara. I'm not actually the police, that's just what it says on the box. Besides, I've got to think about Gee, remember? Got to put her hearts first."

That actually made Galaxy Kaster look at me, her blue eyes confused. "You're always talking about what you can and can't do but you've never told me the rules. Did I ever know?"

"Well, at first you were never going to come with. We never thought you'd survive." I shrugged, wrapping my arms around her again. My little girl... "We're time travellers. We tread softly. It's okay to make ripples, but not tidal waves."

"You are a tidal wave."

Tidal waves were everything that I didn't want to be. "Don't say that."

At which point a load of swords were drawn from nowhere, getting placed against our throats. Gee, obviously, went to attack them, that little bit of her mother in there wanting to cause chaos, but I stopped her. "Dad. Something tells me you went a bit too far back in time"

I had noticed that, love. "No, no, not Vikings. I'm not in the mood for Vikings."

The raiding party leader, a red-haired man with the biggest horns on his helmet, growled lowly. "You're coming with us."

"No, I'm not. Do you want to know why?" I asked matter of factly, making Gee look at me, before working it out and silently groaning. Uh, excuse me, I was a cool dad, I was a very cool dad, I had sonic sunglasses, thank you very much, young lady. "On my face, right now, more advanced technology than your species will manage over the next nine million years." The redhead just snatched the glasses and snapped them in two, so they fell sparking onto the ground. "Girls?"

"Yeah?"

"We're going with the Vikings."

Gee rolled her eyes. "Funny that, dad."

At which point we were dragged over seas by boat, most unpleasant way to travel, before two days later we turned up at their village. A very large metal horn was sounded and the villagers greet their returning 'heroes'. Myself and the girls were in manacles. A girl in boy's clothes ran up, looking at the ginge, who was wearing my broken sonic glasses like an eyepatch. "You're back! All of you! Are all of you back?"

"I suppose so, I haven't counted." Very naughty. Suppose one fell in and you didn't notice? I always made sure to do a head count when I had multiple companions.

"I'm back!" Another bloke hugged the girl.

She was looking at them all, counting herself as Gee struggled to keep up. I hadn't been able to give her the heart meds, Galaxy was close to cardiac arrest. "I had a dream you'd all died. It was so real, I thought I'd made it happen."

"Well, if it ever does, I'm sure you'll a find some way to blame yourself."

And gave her the parts of my glasses, making her smile after him. "I wish none of you had to go!"

My daughter looked at me. "Plan, dad? Any time soon. It hurts to breathe, and if I drop dead and regenerate, something tells me that I'm going to be called Loki." I told her to stay calm and to trust that I had a plan. Never tell a girl, especially one in my life, to stay calm. "You've just spent two days telling me that on a longboat, while I was slowly declining!"

"I do have a plan."

Clara rolled her eyes. "There you go." Then we walked past the girl, making both Gee and I stop to look at her, before we were jerked along. "You all right? Do you know her?"

"Never seen her before in my life."

"Okay, so, why are you staring?"

Why did I do anything? "I don't know. Nothing, probably. Too much time travel, it happens."

That confused her, so Gee explained, covered in a cold sweat, though she was still roasting inside her space suit. "People talk about premonition as if it's something strange. It's not. It's just remembering in the wrong direction. Dad, plan."

"We meet the boss man and we do the usual." Galaxy Kaster rolled her eyes, looking annoyed. "Replace him." The others were starting to talk to their leader. "To the primitive mind, advanced technology can seem like magic."

They both rolled their eyes. "It's going to be the yo-yo again, isn't it?"

Of course! "Yeah. It's in my pocket somewhere."

"We have travelled far and fought-"

By which point I took off my manacles and the yellow yo-yo, perfect for testing the gravity of situations, holding them both up. "Dad, what the fuck did you just do?"

I just smiled at my daughter. "Magic."

Only as I threw the manacles, they hit the Elder man in the chest, so swords and axes were drawn. "How dare you attack our Chieftain!"

"I am very, very cross with you." I yelled, not listening to them. "I am very disappointed. I have taken human form to walk among you."

"Who are you, old man?"

Galaxy was trying hard not to laugh as I kept on with my cunning ploy. "Do you not recognise the sign of Odin?"

And used the yo-yo. Bossed it.

"You are not Odin, and that is not Odin's sign."

Excuse you? "Oh, and you would know that how, exactly? Have you met Odin? Do you know what Odin looks like?!

At which point there was a giant thunderclap and the sound of a horn. A giant face appeared in the clouds in the sky wearing a winged helmet and a Virtual Reality eyepiece. "Oh, my people. I am Odin. And now your day of reward has finally dawned."

"Do not believe this foolish trickery!" Only my yo-yo then failed to go back up the string. Brilliant. "It's supposed to do that."

"Your mightiest warriors will feast with me tonight in the halls of Valhalla." Rays of light teleported down five large beings covered in armour, with alien guns. We moved back quietly while the Vikings move forward, giving me a chance to pick up my daughter, shaking and trembling.

"Hey, hey, look at me, look at me, Galaxy Kaster." Her eyes weakly fixed on me, the blue dark and dangerous even when she was this close to death, again. "Stay still. Stay very, very still. I've got you, don't worry."

Clara, while helping her best friend to rest her head on my shoulder, glanced at the face in the sky. "That's not really Odin, is it?"

Well, what did you think, really? "He hasn't even got a yo-yo."

"So this is an invasion."

"No, this is a harvest." Gee muttered, falling unconscious in my arms. "The strongest, the fittest. The weak and young, they'll leave behind."

An alien warrior scanned a group, then knocked down a few, before the fighters were beamed away. "We have to help them."

They were dead already, there was a lot more that we had to do and that was more important. "We have to not get chosen." But of course she didn't listen and ran over to the girl from before. "Clara. Clara, no!" And was trying to get her to use the broken shades to open her manacles. "Clara."

As the girl did so, more groups were teleported, then the aliens turn towards them both, registering the technology. "Clara! Clara!" Gee cried, ignoring her heart and pulled in my arms to try and get to her friend, but I held her tight. And with a bang, both Clara and the girl were gone, shortly before the aliens themselves. "CLARA!"

She dropped with that, her heart not powering anything as she buckled in my arms. Now that the others had stopped paying us any attention, I went into my pockets, digging out an emergency dose of her heart medication and jammed it in through the suit. It took all of three seconds for her to jolt upright again, going right to her feet. "Oh, that was so fucking needed, and so fucking painful. Clara, how are we getting her back?"

"We need to know who they are first." Then paused, looking at the way her hands were shaking, like she was so angry that she needed an outlet for it. That was something that used to happen with her mother, when she was her father. I wished that she was really mine, but I knew that I would always love her as though she was. But there was a lot that they had in common, I just had to hope that being raised by me made her strong enough to resist the darkness she inherited. "Look at me, Gee. Galaxy Kaster, look at me." She did so reluctantly, her dark blue eyes looking murderous. I knew that look very well. "We will do what we can, alright? We can't do anything until we know who they are."

She did not look happy, but she nodded as the rest of the village looked around in panic that all their warriors were gone. Gee was now distracted by the dragon figurehead, her hands level as she ran them along the carvings, probably working out how to draw it. "They took half the village."

"Yeah, and it was the good half."

"They went willingly to Valhalla as would we all."

One of the idiot looking ones with pigtails shook his head, the plaits swishing. "I wouldn't. Well, I wouldn't. I'm not good with heights." Wow.

"Oh, stop it!" Galaxy yelled, getting annoyed with them all. "All of you, stop it right now. Homo sapiens, you're an intelligent species. Stop lying to yourselves. Really, it's getting very annoying. Just look at Joey Essex." Who?

"Choose your words carefully, Hela."

She raised her eyebrows. "OK, yes, I did pretty much just die there, and yes, my mother is quite often referred to as Loki, but trust me. I think you'd rather face the Goddess of the Underworld than myself. The big fella in the sky, he lied as well as my father did. You all know it. Because what's the one thing that gods never do? Gods never actually show up! Believe me, I've prayed, and they never answered. Guess what? You got raided. Guess what else? I lost someone who matters to me. I only have a few of those, so you'd better help me get her back."

There was a moment of silence, before one of the blokes spoke up. "So did I."

I sat to the side with her after that, trying to keep her calm and level headed as I looked through my diary. Just as I found what I needed, Clara and the other girl appeared back. "Clara?" Gee asked, lifting her head slightly. "Oh, shit, CLARA!" And ran over and hugged her tight, closely followed by myself, hugging them both and lifting them up. "DAD!"

"We looked them up in my two thousand year diary." I told her, both of them looking at me. "They are called the Mire." Clara was doing that random opening and closing her mouth, making sounds that were similar to the beginning of words, but she kept stopping and starting. "They are one of the deadliest warrior races in the entire galaxy. But they're practical. They get what they want and go. You persuaded them to go, didn't you? I knew that you would."

"The deadliest warrior race in the galaxy?"

Galaxy Kaster smiled and slid the bone blades from her arms again. More Assassin's Creed, obviously. "One of them, yes. I mean, I could probably take them, but that's beyond the point. Why?"

"Because I think this village just declared war on them."

After that, Galaxy Kaster finally got to change out of her suit, moving far freer and less sweaty in the warrior clothes she borrowed from someones house. Well, I hope that she asked to borrow them, but you couldn't exactly be sure when it came to Gee any longer. We met up as a village in the longhouse, cartwheel chandlers holding candle stubs hanging the length of the roof. "They're coming here tomorrow, ten of them, to kill everybody in the village."

Einarr looked at his daughter. "Ashildr, is this true?"

The girl nodded, looking down. "It's my fault."

"Not every misfortune that befalls this village is down to you." Then he looked at myself and my daughter. "She thinks she brings us bad luck."

"What bad luck? You haven't had any bad luck. You're fine. Your worst luck is having to deal with Gee here in a bad mood."

Some stocky guy looked miffed. "We are about to be attacked by-"

Ugh, please shut up. "Yes, yes, yes, yes. With a whole day to spare! So leave! Hop it, take off! Into the woods, split up, hide. Hang about there for a week, come back home, make puddings and babies. That's basically what you do, isn't it?"

"We cannot leave this village."

Gee rolled her eyes. "Yes, you can. Just pick a direction. Fly like a bird, run like a nose. That's probably a Viking saying, I haven't checked that, and honestly don't care. I don't know if you remember, but they actually took away all your fighters. I'd fight for you, but I'm mentally unstable, prone to violent outbursts and I have congenital heart failure, right dad?"

"Very much right, Galaxy Kaster." I sighed, rubbing my eyes wearily. She'd been getting worse ever since she'd met her mother again, discovered that they were related. Being the descendent of evil was not the same as being evil, she did not have an excuse to act like this. "So, what are you? Farmers, fishermen, web designers. Maybe not that last one."

The new leader tossed a skin full of weapons onto the floor. "We are Vikings!"

They all cheered, so Gee rolled her eyes, again, and showed the two bone weapons of her own, sending them into silence. "Okay, tell me this. How many people here have actually held a sword in battle? By a show of hands? Mmm hmm. Yeah, baby." Only myself, Clara and my daughter. "The Mire are coming for each and every one of you." And pulled the blades in again. "So what you going to do? Raise crops at them?"

Some others got confused by her sarcasm, but Einarr got very angry at her. "We're not cowards. We do not run. A death in battle is a death with honour."

Again, there was a group cheer, but a baby started to cry. She may not have any maternal instincts, or any interest in people in that way, but she still knew people's minds. How to manipulate them. "Do babies die with honour?" Then she started to translate. "I am afraid, Mother. Hold me, Mother. I am afraid."

"Er, she speaks Baby. Gee speaks a lot now-a-days, it's a shame. I miss her quiet self."

Gee flipped her off, but kept talking, her eyes turning the same blue as her mothers. "Turn your face towards me, Mother, for you're, you're beautiful. And I will sing for you. I am afraid, but I will sing. Babies think that laughter is singing. Did you know that? I applaud your courage, really, even someone with my people skills does, but I deplore your stupidity. And I will mourn your deaths with my father, which will be terrifying, painful, and without honour."

We went to leave, but Ashildr stopped her, looking intently into her eyes. Time to see if she was actually fighting the darkness in her head anymore. "Stay. You could help us. I know you could. You're the one here with the most fight in her, I see in your eyes."

She hesitated, arms shifting slightly, before she shook her head. "I told you to run. That's all the help you need. And that's all the help you're getting. I am trying so, so hard not to fight. Do you know what it's like to live with that in your head? The constant urge to kill and maim and hurt people? It's best that you just let me ignore the temptation and leave now."

And with that she left, letting both Clara and I follow her out to find her angrily eating a chocolate bar on a bale of hay. I just went and sat down next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder to say I was proud that she'd resisted the urge. Clara just stared at us though. "The earth is safe, humanity is not in danger. It's just one village."

"Just one village?"

"Suppose we saved it by some miracle." I told her, Gee just chewing as she tapped her leg again, that four beats. As much as it helped her, giving into that noise could also be her downfall. Missy lost it, when the link between her, uh, him at the time, was broken. Why could our daughter still hear it? "No TARDIS, no sonic, Gee barely functioning beyond rage and heart failure. Just one village defeats the Mire. What then? Word gets around. Earth becomes a target of strategic value, and the Mire come back. And God knows what else. Ripples into tidal waves until everybody dies."

The baby was crying still, getting louder, more urgent as Clara just kept her eyes on us. "What's it saying?"

"She. She's afraid." Galaxy Kaster sighed, stuffing the wrapper of the Star Bar into her pocket, enjoying the peanut butter filling. "Babies sense danger. They have to. Mother, I hear thunder. Mother, I hear shouting. You are my world, but I hear other worlds now. Beyond the unfolding of your smile, is there other kindness? I'm afraid. Will they be kind? The sky is crying now. Fire in the water." Then paused, mouthing it to herself again. Oh, I could never resist a baby crying... "Fire in the water?"

The crying stopped them, the girl sitting between us both, hugging Gee, before putting a hand on my cheek. "You just decided to stay. The baby stopped crying. Gee, since when do you eat Star Bars?"

"Only thing he had in his pocket and I have to eat to take meds." And she got to her feet, letting both her blades come out. "You guys are so lucky I played Assassins after Pokemon. You'd be stuck with me trying to catch one of every species of animal."

We lined the men up on the grass about half an hour later, all of them holding wooden staves as I walked up and down in front of them. They all looked miserable. "So, when I say move, you move. When I say jump, you say how high? Unless it's across a gap of some kind which, of course, means you jump horizontally." One put his hand up. "Yes, what is it, Lofty?"

"Sorry, my name's not actually Lofty, it's Bro"

Gee threw a pencil at him from where she was drawing them. Obviously doing a real life for her art qualification. "No, it's not, it's Lofty. We've got too much to think about without everybody having their own names, so it's Lofty. You're Lofty, you're Daphne, you're Noggin the Nog, ZZ Top and you're er, Heidi. All very self explanatory names, if you're like myself or my father. Lofty, what do you want?"

Like everyone else did, he looked scared of her. "Sorry, sir, Miss, it's just, why aren't we practising with real swords?"

"Yes, perhaps you'd like to field this one, Limpy?"

The man who was having Clara tie a bandage around his leg. "Because we can't be trusted with them."

"That's right, yes." I nodded. "You'll be given your real swords back when you can prove that you can wave them around without lopping bits off yourselves."

"Heidi, why are your eyes closed? Because I will get in your head and compel you to open them."

He shook his head. "Sorry, Miss. Just not that good with the sight of blood."

That really made her angry, tapping faster on her leg. "No of course you're not. OK, half on staff training over there, the other half here with me. Hand to hand. Now, who wants to demo with me?"

So off we went training for a while. No accidents so I thought, stupidly, it would be safe to give them the actual weapons. About 5 minutes later, everyone was either on the ground or trying to put out the fires. "Well, that could have gone better." Gee sighed, wiping the blood from her nose where she'd been kicked trying to help the horse. Then Heidi groaned, sitting up. "Good Morning, my little cock."

"What happened?"

Really? "The Big Bang, dinosaurs, bipeds, and a mounting sense of futility."

"More recently, Chuckles hit Lofty over the head, on his helmet, with his sword, which knocked him out. There was a little blood, which you saw-" And out he was once again. "And did that. Only, the first time you did it, you knocked a torch onto some hay, which spooked a horse, who kicked open a gate, kicked Galaxy in the face, and er, I'm sure you can fill in the rest."

Later that night the Vikings started a party inside the Meeting House preparing for battle by having a feast. Like that was going to help, fighting a war hung over or with blocked bowels from eating too much at once. We were sat outside, Gee sketching again, her face, still swollen from where she'd been kicked, marred with both blood and charcoal as she tried to pretend that she didn't want to go up into that ship and dismantle them from within, not for the Vikings sake, but solely for threatening Clara.

"Weird sounding thunder."

"That's not thunder." I told her, looking at Gee's drawing of her friend, Clara with longer hair and her giant eyes. Seriously, was she a bush baby? "It's the weapon forges of the Mire. They're making sure we hear them."

Gee sighed at that, brushing her honey blonde hair off her face. "Heidi faints at the mention of blood, not just the sight any more. He's actually upgraded his phobia, and added me into it, so that's fun. I'm not even like my mother and people are scared of me. Chuckles, he questions every single order you give him, which is going to be a little bit difficult, a little bit tricky, in the heat of battle. I'd compel him, but something tells me that's frowned upon, if I use the whole army as puppets."

"I keep waiting to hear what your real plan is."

"Teaching them to fight, that's the only plan we've got."

That surprised Clara. "Turning them into fighters? That's not like you."

If only I still had that option. "Yeah. I used to believe that too."

"What happened?"

"You two." I replied, making my daughter pause in her drawing, looking up at me with bright blue eyes. "Oh, Clara Oswald, Galaxy Kaster Pratchett, what have I made of you both?"

She just changed the subject back onto what it started with. "It doesn't matter how well you train them, it's not going to make difference. Dying with honour, to them, will allow them passage into the real Valhalla, and that's the best they can hope for. A good death is all that anyone can hope for, unless they happen to be immortal."

At which point the girl came out of the house, looking at us briefly. "Sorry."

"No problem."

Gee waved, not looking at her as the girl looked solely in her direction. She was another person who knew stories. Ashildr knew words while Galaxy Kaster knew pictures. In another circumstance, another face of hers, they might have been friends. "Night."

"You've made an impact there." Clara told her friend. "She's nice. Fight you for her."

"I don't like relationships. I want meaningless sex powered by alcohol and then to pretend that it never happened." She replied, draining her drink, before looking straight at Clara. "These people all died hundreds of years before you were born-"

She shook her head. "I'm not running."

Why did Clara never make it easy? After everything that happened to Danny, I needed to make sure she was safe, I needed to make sure that they were both safe. "I have a duty of care."

Clara shook her head at me. "No, you don't, because I never asked for that."

"Every time we do something like this, I keep thinking, what if something happens to you? The two of you, you're not as unbreakable as me."

"Dad, I'm just as unbreakable in every way beside my human heart."

Oh, if only that were true. We had no idea how many regenerations you had, we had no clue on how long you would actually live and we had no idea how much time you wasted when you were with the Master. Besides, I'd never see you as more than a chubby baby who just wanted to draw on the walls in crayon. "Well, stop thinking about us, and start think about them, because you're missing something." Clara told me, making me get confused as she snapped me out of the daydream. "How you're going to win. You always miss it, right up until the last minute. So put down your sword, stop playing soldier and look for it. Start winning, Doctor. It's what you're good at."

So I left them to it and started to wander around trying to find what I was missing. There was something, there really was something, both of them knew it, I knew it, but like hell could any of us work it out. At which point I found Ashildr, who was in her own house doing something with a weird thingy as I watched from the doorway. "So, we meet again, Fake Odin. Valhalla burns around you, your army is destroyed and now it is time for you to die!" I cleared my throat, making her turn and face me in shock. "How long have you been there?"

Wait... Oh! "What's that? Is that a puppet? Oh, I love puppets!"

"I make puppets sometimes, when I'm-"

"Frightened? My, my daughter, Galaxy Kaster out there, she would do something similar. She's always loved drawing, when I went travelling during the week, she would draw what she thought I was doing, or she'd draw the stories that I'd already told her. Gee, she..."

"She was a sickly baby."

I nodded, remembering that first cardiac arrest again, how horrifying it was. Seeing that beautiful little girl in so much pain... "Galaxy Kaster almost died. What about you?"

She shrugged a little, playing with her nails. Gee and her, they'd be good friends. "When the raiding parties go out, I make up stories about their battles."

Oh, that was just the same. They could write books together, it would be brilliant. "Because if you make up the right story, then you think it will keep them safe and they'll all come home. That's okay. You're not the first person to ever have done that. I just told you that you my daughter did it."

"Why are you here?"

Not sure just yet. "I'm looking for something I'm missing. What do you think our chances are tomorrow?

"We will be cut down like corn. By this time tomorrow, every single one of us will be dead." Pretty much. You didn't stand a chance, there was no way that Gee was capable of helping you, not with how badly her heart was playing up since the flood.

I picked up an illuminated bound book, briefly leafing through it. "You could go."

Ashildr looked sheepish. "There's nowhere for me except here. This is my place. The sky, the hills, the sea, the people. Is there nowhere like that for you?"

Not really. I didn't even think that I could stay on Gallifrey when we found it, beyond fixing my daughter. "Oh, I like a nice view as much as anyone." The girl knew right away there was a but. "Can't wait for the next one. Showing Galaxy Kaster the stars and the universe."

"I pity you."

"I will mourn for you." I shot back. "I know which I'd prefer."

"You think they're all idiots, don't you?"

You might want to narrow that down a bit, love. "What, you mean the rest of the universe? Basically, yes, I do."

The girl was desperate to defend them. "But they're kind and brave, and strong, and I love them."

Love was a powerful weapon. If only it was strong enough. "Good. Good. But that won't save you."

"I've always been different. All my life I've known that. The girls all thought I was a boy. The boys all said I was just a girl." Be both then. Or neither. Gender was something that could change, just look at Missy. "My head is always full of stories. I know I'm strange. Everyone knows I'm strange. But here I'm loved. You tell me to run to save my life. I tell you that leaving this place would be death itself."

At which point her father came in, having been talking with my own daughter before she came and let me wrap my arms around her, feeling that aching heart through her skin. Oh, I needed to find a way to fix her, to stop her always being in so much pain. "I cannot keep you safe. I do not have the strength. But I will try to till the last beat of my heart." The baby started to cry again then, my daughter both in pain and laughing at something. "If you seek to mock me in this moment-"

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, she mocks everyone. I sing in the shower and she mocks me." I told them, before looking out the doors. "Is it us, or is that baby getting closer." Lofty was walking through the village carrying the baby. Sound the alarms! "Why has Lofty stolen a baby?"

"That's his child."

Someone slept with him? Ok, that was even harder to believe, honestly. "Oh. Where's he taking her?"

Ash shrugged. "The boathouse. He takes her to the boathouse when she won't settle. She likes the fish."

"Why would she?" At which point my daughter grinned and ran from the house, working it out seconds before I did. Oh, my Gee was very smart. "Fire in the water. Fire in the water. Fire in the Fire in the water. Fire in the water? Fire in the water! That's it. That's it. That's what I've been missing. Clara, we've found it!"

I ran out after my daughter, finding her already in the boathouse talking to him. Though she was looking very warily at the baby. Galaxy did not do babies, children or, in general, people. Give her a video game any day. "Lofty! I had no idea that was your baby. Hello, baby, I had no idea this was your junior parent."

"I'm trying to settle her. She likes all the fish."

The other three entered the room as well, our friend not looking at all happy about the way she was summoned. "You're shouting. What's happened? Did you trap your finger in something again, or did Gee insult someone?"

That got her a one fingered salute before she looked at Ashildr's father. "Chuckles, bedtime is cancelled. Everybody, off the hard stuff. Trust me, you'd have been stupidly hung over in the morning anyway, not worth it. We've got a long night's work ahead of us. I need a blacksmith. Who's the blacksmith?"

"I'm the blacksmith."

You let him loose with a baby and with sharp hot things? Really? "You're the blacksmith and you've got a baby too? He's been at it hammer and tongs."

"Doctor, Gee, explain." Clara insisted. "What's happening?"

"There's going to be a war tomorrow. And here's some news, this just in. We're going to win the hell out of it." I told them, my daughter already starting to draw up plans. "Ashildr, this is your village, and you will never have to leave it, I swear. I told you that we were basically doomed. Did no one in this two-horn town think to mention that you had eels?"

Gee smiled and kicked the bucket. Well, the ones with eels, not the other type. "I give you fire in the water! Electric eels!" The baby started to cry again, making her roll her eyes. "Someone change her, please. And why is there a baby near me? Babies are gross, ew." And this was how I knew that I would never again be a grandfather. My daughter seriously hated babies and people.

We got right to work with the doozy of a plan, with me giving everyone instructions alongside Gee starting to paint an old boat thing for what we needed. "We need to pull that silvery stuff out of Galaxy's space suit. We can use it to magnify the electrical charge. Stop looking confused! Look happy! Winning is all about looking happier than the other guy. Always walk briskly. Makes you a moving target. Oh, that's for Lofty. Lofty!" And threw the baby father the thing. "And talk with confidence, even if you're terrified." Clara was starting to explain her phone to Heidi. "Act as if you know their plan, and sometimes, if you're very lucky, they'll actually tell you it. Ah, this is for Ashildr and Galaxy."

Once nearly everything was done, I gathered them all around, trying to explain what everything was for and how we were going to win. "Then we deploy the anvil. Now, at this stage, getting me one of their helmets is key. We get a helmet, and this is over. Then we can mop up the rest using Ashildr and Galaxy Kaster's monstrosity."

They both pulled off the covers, showing us what they'd spent the night making. "That is rubbish."

Duh! "I know."

The following morning we waited by throwing a little bit of a fete, with horseshoes and dancing. As 'Odin' and the 'Soldiers of the Asgard' came in, Lofty tossed on of the metal rings onto one with copper wiring on there. "Hey, hello, hi! I'm the Doctor, this is my lovely if not antisocial daughter Galaxy Kaster. It's lovely to meet you face to er convincing hologram. You could always go zzz and get rid of it, no? No, on second thoughts, don't. That, that, that suits you."

"It is time to fight."

"No, no, no." Gee shook her head, blonde hair up in a ponytail, the blue dip dye vibrant. She'd always be blonde. It was a side effect of her human side, the woman who had her originally, she was blonde. Something told me that it might have been Lucy Saxon, before everything with the Toclafane. He had a habit of using the same people over and over. "We decided against that. We thought we'd just have a party!"

Our side cheered, but Odin glared. "Let me put it another way. You fight or you die."

"We're unarmed." Because Gee had been made to play Tetris and now she just wanted to organise things. "There isn't a single weapon in this room. Which I'm sure your systems are telling you. You wouldn't open fire on unarmed civilians, would you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time."

A horseshoe hit a Mire's armour with a clang, making them all look up to a mesh of wires attached to the cartwheels of candle holders in the roof space. "Chuckles, now!"

He hit a barrel of eels, causing electricity to run through wires from the boathouse to the Mire, and caused havoc. "Run, run, run-run-run-run! That's four down, six left."

The Mire obviously came after us, but Chuckes was ready and hit another barrel, activating the magnets. So their weapons got sucked up to the roof, then their helmets. On my command, he turned it back off so I could catch a helmet, the two girls catching guns. "Stand still. Don't move. Do not start talking, because I will shoot."

This gave me the time to dash behind the scenes, messing something up inside the helmet. "How's it coming?"

"Reversing the polarity of the neutron flow." I replied, then paused for a moment. "I bet that means something. It sounds great. Ashildr, Galaxy Kaster!" She came and sat down in a large chair, Gee sitting beside her. "Are you ready? Gee, the artwork?"

"I'm scared."

I just smiled at them both, kissing my daughter's forehead. "You were born for this. You are a team made in heaven. Show them a story they'll never forget."

Then I put a Mire helmet on Ashildr, my daughter standing to put her hands on either side of it to start linking her mind to hers. She was in control of the pictures, while Ash told the story. Odin gasped as the main doors of the Meeting House fell in and a strong wind blew out the candles. They could see a classic long-necked Wyrm coming at them, hissing. "What is this beast? It's impossible!" His men wanted to escape. "Stand and fight!"

The Wyrm snapped at them, their weapons have no effect so they withdrew. Just as planned. "See how they run." And then it was just Fake Odin. "That's enough, Gee, Ashildr. Story's over. Happy ending."

Everyone else started to laugh as whatever spell he was under ceased, the village surrounding Odin with their swords raised. Correctly, so it was nice to see that they had learned something yesterday. "What trickery is this?"

"Ha! Says the man with a fake face." I laughed, shaking my head. "But you see, that's the trouble with viewing reality through technology. It's all too easy to feed in a new reality."

"You got it? Great." Clara took the phone back from Heidi.

"A story to save a town, and a puppet from a nightmare. You see, you've just seen the world through the eyes of a storyteller and an artist. The mighty armies of the Mire. Brutal, sadistic, undefeated. Even I believed the stories. But after today, no one will again. An army like yours, it lives or dies on its reputation, its story. And today, you were sent packing by a handful of farmers and fisherman. Not to mention the whole wetting your pants and running away from a puppet debacle."

Clara was laughing now, having edited the video. "See, that was really funny."

I beamed at them all. "That was hilarious. It's just lucky that nobody recorded that. Oh. Wait a minute, we did."

"See, all it needed was the Benny Hill theme."

That was a good shout, actually. "The Benny Hill theme, yes. Now, you see, we could just keep this as a funny little film and play it every year at the Christmas party, or I could upload it to the galactic hub and get a second opinion. So the question you need to ask yourself is this. Just how important is your reputation to you? Here's a little sneak preview, piped straight into your helmets, free of charge."

My daughters best friend pressed a big red virtual button on her phone screen, letting him see the moment his army cowered away from a puppet. "If you don't leave right now, I'll put it out there for all to see and no one will fear you again."

"This humiliation will not go unpunished. We will meet again."

Only my daughter then appeared, using her little gadget that she had kept hidden for a while, and teleported him away. "I told you not to talk."

Celebrations started right up, the Mire ship shooting off into the sky as Chuckles went over to where his daughter was still wearing the helmet. "You did it, Ashildr. You did it. You saved us all. Ashildr." Only she didn't move, causing everyone to go quiet and Gee put her hand over her heart. "Ashildr? Ashildr!"

"Get the helmet off her. Get it off, now." Galaxy demanded, her eyes turning cold and hard as she tried to read her brain. Only as the helmet was pushed off, she shook her head, running out with tears in her eyes. "NO!"

"No pulse. I think. Doctor, is she dead?" Clara asked, looking back towards where Gee ran. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Oh, no... "I'm sorry. I'm really terribly sorry."

Then I ran out after my daughter, finding her in the boathouse, tearing up and destroying all the plans she had made with her, the girl she was actually civil to. "I did this, didn't I? I stopped her heart. Used her up like a battery, because it should have used up bits of both of us. My heart isn't strong enough though, it's too weak."

"You did not do this."

"I did! You don't get it, even if I try so, so hard to not be like her, to be nothing like her, I am! Daddy, you don't get it. You're good, you have always been good." She sobbed, shaking her head at me, pausing over a sketch she'd done of her and Ashildr doing the Wyvern together. "And I have this darkness inside me, it's been there since the day I was born and it eats away at me, day by day, it is there. She is still there, talking to me, she tells me what she would have done and exactly how to do it myself. It's so hard to keep fighting and to not give in. I do the right things, I help people, and they still die!"

"You did your best. She died. There's nothing you can do."

Her eyes went furious then, speaking with venom in her voice. "You know full well that there is a lot that I can do. You just tell me otherwise, ripples into tidal waves. Dad, I don't... I don't think I can play by your rules, I have to write my own. You don't have to fight what I do, and you can't know how it feels to have this ridiculous power that you hate. I am Galaxy Kaster Pratchett and I will do as I please."

I grabbed her arm as she went to leave, trying to make her look at me. Unfortunately, I regretted it the moment that I did. "What do you think that you are going to do?"

That dark blue that I knew as hers was lighter, paler, like pure ice. The ice that her mother had instead of hearts. "I'm going to save her and if you've got any kind of a problem with that, to hell with you!"

And pulled free of me, going to dig through the Mire helmet beside where Ashildr was laid out on furs, waiting for whatever she was going to do. I knew what she was going to do, but if I stopped her, she'd resent me for it and I'd lose her. Galaxy had been lost to me once, I would never let her go again.

Just as people started to doubt her, she pulled out the little SIM type thing, using her sketching pen to change some of the coding on it before blowing softly to dry the ink. "It's from the Mire helmet. Battlefield medical kit. I've reprogrammed it for human beings."

Then placed it on her forehead, biting her nail as it got absorbed into her. "It's gone. It's inside her."

"It's repairing her." She replied, her eyes both like hers and like Missy's all at once. "It will never stop repairing her, if it works. Come on, Ashildr. Come on. The story's not over yet. There is still so much art in the universe for you to see."

"Daughter, listen to me." Chuckles wept, stroking his childs hair as Gee finally came to terms with what she'd done. She had just cursed her only other friend. "This town has lost so much. If we lose you too there'll be nothing left."

Nothing happened for a long pause, then Ashildr gasped and opened her eyes briefly. "Ashildr!"

"She'll be conscious in a day, up and about in three. No swimming for a week." I told them, faking a smile as I supported my daughter as she sagged, all that work finally catching up with her. If her heart gave out now, I really did not know how to help her. "Now, we're going to need a longboat and some of your best rowers. We're two days' sail from the TARDIS. Come on, Clara."

"Wait, no. She'll want to see you both when she wakes."

I shook my head. "Oh, no. Well, she'll, she'll see us often enough once she understands." And threw another of the SIM things to him. "Second dose."

He didn't understand. "Will she need to take this?"

"No, no, no, it's not for her."

Clara frowned as well. "Then who's it for?"

Difficult to say, really. "Er, whoever she wants."

"Galaxy, thank you."

Her eyes weakly looked at the girl, shaking her head. "You shouldn't be thanking me. I fear I have cursed you worse than my mother cursed myself."

Then we left, reaching the TARDIS two days later as I carried my now comatose daughter towards the blue doors. All the while, silent as I thought about what she'd done, what she'd told me. Only I had forgotten that Clara was with us, sassy as ever. "Okay, it's official. Silence is even worse in a Scottish accent. Are you going to tell me what you're brooding about? What did Gee do that you were that worried about?"

"It won't stop, the repair kit she put inside Ashildr, not ever. It'll just keep fixing her." She thought it was a good thing. "I'm not sure, but it's entirely possible she has lost the ability to die."

"The ability?"

Just look at Jack. He spent a rather long time praying for death after losing everyone. He was there when his friend Gwen died in 2105, and her daughter and granddaughter and he followed the line right up until it ended in 3456. He reached a point where he was sick of living. "Oh, dying is an ability, believe me. Barring accidents, she may now be functionally immortal."

Then she remembered what else happened. "If the repair kit never stops working, then why did you give her two?"

"Immortality isn't living forever. That's not what it feels like. Immortality is everybody else dying. She might meet someone she can't bear to lose. That happens, I believe. It's why I'm happy that Gee doesn't like people. Less pain in the long run." I told her, carrying poor Gee inside her home, still thinking about what she'd been saying. "She was angry. She was emotional. She may have made a terrible mistake. Maybe even a tidal wave. Time will tell, it always does."

"Whatever Gee did for Ashildr, I think she deserved it. The fact that Gee actually got on with her-"

It was why it was worse. My daughter took the first step that her biological parent took towards the darkness, and because of that she would have to fight harder to ignore it. "Yes. Yes, she did. But Ashildr isn't just human any more. There's a little piece of alien inside her, so in a way, she's. In a way, she's a hybrid."


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo

Gee:

Father was asleep, time for me to actually do something my own way for once. No way in hell was I just going to stay up drawing when there was a bleeping alert of a rather... Dangerous artefact out there in a time that did not need to be in that time period. Something told me that he wouldn't mind in the long run, given that I would just go in, grab it, and then get out again.

"Hello." I told the people in the coach, looking at my scanner not them as they seemed to be scared of something. Scared people were just annoying. "Don't mind me, don't mind me. I'm only going to be a minute. Don't worry. Oh, very warm."

"What are you doing?"

Not a clue. My parents were Missy and the Doctor, not even they knew what they were doing half the time. "Oh, just ignore me, I'm just passing through, like fish in the night."

"This is a robbery!"

Wait... That was so not it. I'd been listening to Father ramble while he worked on the console again, it rubbed off. He told me to get the toolkit out of the socket the other day. "It's not fish in the night, it's something else." And ignored the idiot one in a mask as I went through to the other end of the coach, closing the door after me. "No, ships in the night. Yeah, something like that."

Something was getting pointed at me now. "Step aside or I shall blow your brains out."

Basically, just noise to me. "Sorry, were you talking to me there? Try again. I promise I'll listen this time. Actually, I won't. Three people in the universe that I'll talk to, you are none."

"You have interrupted my robbery, Madam, and you will step away, if you wish to take another breath."

"Breathing is something I barely do half the time. It's called acute insomnia alongside heart failure and I do actually forget to breathe at times, sleep apnea." Then looked up briefly from what I was doing, the coachman trying to speak too. "Sorry. Sorry, I was really rude then, wasn't I? Usually, someone hits me at this point, but she's taking the Year 7s for Taekwondo." And then got an exact location for the thing I was looking for. "Yes! Got you! I officially win, Father." Then realised what was actually going on right now. "Oh, hang on. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was a robbery."

The woman, because boobs, who was on the horse stared at me. "I am robbing these people. You are getting out of my way."

Seriously? "Whatever love, just getting what I need and then you can have the rest, keep your bra on."

"This is my robbery!"

"Do I look like I give a shit?" At which point the coach drove away at a gallop. "Bugger."

"You bungled my heist."

I rolled my eyes. "No, you potentially just killed your planet, bitchy-bitch face."

She was still pretending to be a man. "Whey-faced fool!"

"I already know you're a woman, just show me your face. Unless there's something wrong with it?"

The voice changed to a womans, high and familiar. "Nothing is wrong with my face, Galaxy Kaster." And she dismounted and removed her hat, kerchief and mask. Oh, Ashildr... "Yes, it is me. What took you so long, my friend?"

"I don't have friends." I told her firmly, knowing full well what I'd done to her. In a moment of madness where the darkness took over, I'd cursed her. "Didn't you recognise me?"

She nodded. "Of course, you don't forget the girl who saved your life. It's good to see you, even with purple hair." Ah, my wig, yeah...

"Yes, I didn't get that impression when you were threatening to kill me. You know fully well that I have... Abilities."

Ashildr changed voices again. "The Knightmare has a reputation to maintain, though obviously the daughter of the Doctor does also."

I folded my arms, the two swords on my back, I'd been playing Witcher 3, a nice weight. "Last time Father told me he saw you, you were founding a leper colony. I was so proud of you. I thought maybe you weren't going to be the fuck up I am."

"Proud of me? You weren't even there."

"Father was, Ashildr. He's been a lot of places."

That made her sigh, changing the subject. "No matter. You're here now. We should celebrate."

I shook my head. "Oh, no, this isn't a visit, I've got a job to do. I'm here looking for an alien object which has no business being here on Earth in 1651. It was just, it just so happened, you know, that my tracking device, it led me to the carriage that you were, you know, robbing. There wasn't. I didn't. It was a-"

Her face fell. "You mean, you haven't come for me?"

"No. It was just a coincidence." I replied softly, actually feeling bad for her. I was feeling. That was a thing that I tried to avoid. "Oh, Ashildr, I'm sorry."

"Who's Ashildr?"

OK, that was like me forgetting that my name was Galaxy. "You are. That's your name. Ashildr, daughter of Einarr. Chuckles. We used to call him Chuckles. Do you remember?"

Ash nodded a little. "Yes. I think I remember the village."

That village to you was my Sanctuary for me. It was the only place you would ever sleep a full night, paint your best and be who you were without fear of what others would think. "You loved that village."

"If you say so."

"Anyone in that village would have died for you."

She misunderstood what I said. "Well, they're all dead now, and here I am. So, I guess it all worked out." I tried to say her name again, to get her attention back. "That's not my name. I don't even remember that name."

Fine, whatever. "Well, what, what, what do you call yourself?"

"Me."

I hated humans. "Yes, you. There's nobody else here."

"No. I call myself Me." That was seriously messed up. "All the other names I chose died with whoever knew me. Me is who I am now. No one's mother, daughter, wife. My own companion. Singular. Unattached. Alone." Sounded like me. I'd never be anything more than I was now. "Anyway, I should get started. Jump on, I'll give you a ride. You can help me."

OK, now I was confused. "With what?"

"Packing."

Then got back to her horse, letting me get on the back with her before we were walking up towards a minor manorial country house. "It's a big place for someone who lives on their own."

My old acquaintance smiled slyly. "I have a servant. And all manner of visitors drop in." Then we went in through a side door, going along a corridor to where the main staircase came down. "Your device, what is it?"

"It's a biometrically locked scanner device that is one of the only ways I can talk to my mother while around my father. He seems to know if I'm doing it telepathically." I replied, trying to get it to actually work right. "It's keyed to Masters blood, so only myself and Missy."

Ashildr then opened a large chest full of loot. "And do you know what you're looking for?"

It was something that mummy dearest had decided she wanted a few decades prior, and I'd thought to check up on it. Good thing that I did. "I've got a pretty good idea, yes. Why?"

That got me a smile. "I wasn't just robbing Lucie Fanshawe for her loot. She's bragged about having the rarest gem in the land, an ancient amulet from foreign parts. Could it be we are looking for the same prize?"

"Clearly, you don't need money. So why do you rob?" I asked her, my eyes fixed on the spoils in the chest. "And don't say it's the thrill."

"For the adventure, Galaxy. Isn't that what life's all about?" And then she showed me into her library, lit by candles and a big fire in the grill. It was beautiful, with floor to ceiling bookcases, filled with identically bound volumes. "I've had eight hundred years of adventure, enough to fill a library if you write it down."

I ran my finger along the spines of the books, a weak smile playing on my lips. "That makes you older than me. I'm 113." And I then picked up a crown off the table, knowing it was even older than I was as well. "A medieval queen? How exciting. I am a Prime Ministers daughter, and a Presidents... Uh, actually, for a short while, I was the daughter of the whole planet when the Master took them all over." Ashildr was staring at me. "Long story. Really long."

She moved on from my moment of remembering what Father had told me about what he'd done after I'd supposedly gone into my coma. A lot happened in between, I just couldn't tell him that. "You'd think. It was paperwork and backgammon mainly, as I recall. Ended up faking my own death. Did a bunk before the evisceration. Now this was much more my thing." My thing also, a longbow. Tomb Raider, gave me near perfect aim. "The Battle of Agincourt. My first stint as a man. No-one will ever know that a mere woman helped end the Hundred Years' War."

That I did kinda approve of. "You're immortal, not indestructible. You can be hurt, killed even." And I twanged the bowstring.

"Ten thousand hours is all it takes to master any skill. Over over a hundred thousand hours and you're the best there's ever been. I don't need to be indestructible, I'm superb. You should have seen me. I could shoot six arrows a minute. I got so close to the enemy, I penetrated armour."

"How many people have you killed?"

"How many have you?"

I shrugged. "There are things that are hazy in my mind. There was a black hole, and a giant pain that I still feel now, like I betrayed someone I knew I... Would one day care about. I don't think I outright killed anyone." Then paused, trying to think. "I may have laughed while my mother, who was then my father, killed others though. Not entirely sure."

"For what it's worth, I've saved many lives too. So have you." That was true. Hopefully I saved more than mum killed. It wasn't likely though. "I cured an entire village of scarlet fever once, almost got drowned as a witch for my troubles. Fortunately, I'm really good at holding my breath. Ungrateful peasants."

Next thing that I picked up was the beaked leather hood of a seventeenth century plague doctor. Poor Ash. "The Black Death, 1348. I meant to warn you. Did the same thing myself once. I'm still half human, I can die just as easily as you can."

There was another shrug. "I got sick, but I got better."

Just as it should. It was a vaccine, that chip. Vaccinated you against death herself. "Of course, your immune system is learning too. There's another bout coming. And a big fire that tears through London."

"Excellent. Maybe I start it."

Nope, knew that story very well, actually. "No, that was the Terileptils." And saw the rest of what she filled 800 years with. "Surgeon, scientist, inventor, composer, it's a fantastic CV."

"You should try my journals. I read them myself now and then. Drink pomace wine, have a little me time."

"You don't seem the nostalgic type. Even I'm not, I don't want to remember what little I can't."

Ashildr shook her head, looking deadly serious, but still with humour in her emotionless eyes. "It's not nostalgia, it's curiosity. I can't remember most of it. That's the trouble with an infinite life and a normal sized memory. You never know, you may have the same problem through the years."

Probably. I seemed to end up with that sort of luck, just look at my heart. "It can't have been easy, outliving the people you love."

The poor Viking couldn't even remember. "According to my journals, hell." I apologised. "You'll have to remind me, what's sorrow like? It all just runs out, Galaxy. I'm just what's left. In fact, I've done all I can here. I look up to the sky and wonder what it's like out there. Please, take me with you. All these people here, they're like smoke, they blow away in a moment. You don't know what it's like."

No, but I'd seen that look in my fathers eye. How he looked after watching it happen to more friends than years I'd been alive. "I know what it's like. You may be older than me, but you are not older than Father."

"Then, however you fly, whatever ship you both sail in, take me with you."

"How'd you know I had a ship? Ash, something here isn't adding."

She just smiled, probably thinking that she was seductive. Meh, she was attractive but I wasn't in the mood, and I really didn't want a relationship. They were messy and annoying, pointless when you only wanted the sex. "Because I'm incredibly clever. It doesn't matter. Take me with you."

Depended on what Father said. "We'll talk about it."

"This thing you're looking for, I'll help you find it. It'll be quicker."

Yeah... Still didn't play well with others. "I don't need your help."

Ash was still trying to keep going with it though. "Yes, you do. I know where Lucie Fanshawe lives, and I'm an excellent house-breaker. We'll leave in an hour."

She went out of the library and shuts the door, leaving me to select a journal from the start of the massive collection and starts reading. The first was in English with a strong right hand slant to the script. Today is the day I should have died. Instead, I was re-born, by my hero, a girl called Galaxy Kaster, her body able to change on a whim.

Then it was a little while on, the handwriting changing.My love is dying. It broke my heart when the questions started and I knew I had to leave him. I returned to find an old man who smiles and thinks I am a dream. I am flesh and blood, my love, but all you see is a ghost.

Some of the pages had been torn out of a journal written in Latin, the ink smeared with round drops of water. I'd done that, ripped apart a memory in a book, trying to forget it ever happened. It just never worked that way. "Tears." And I read aloud to myself. "The Plague. Mass graves. Sightless children clutching toys as they sleep, never to wake up. My children. My screams. I could not save you, little ones. Such pain. And yet, still, still I am not brave enough to die, to let go of this wretched life. I will endure, but no more babies. I cannot, will not, suffer such heartbreak again. From now on, it's me against the world. "

Oh, Ashildr...

She came in a little while later, when I'd had a chance to get up to date with the journals, and I went to see her, the long locks of my purple wig dark around my pale face. It took far too long to dye hair and cost too much, wigs were reuseable. "I read your journals. Why are there pages missing?"

"When things get really bad, I tear the memories out."

I'd seen what losing Tyler and I did to dad, what losing me did to mum. Honestly, I didn't think there was anything that could top it. "What could be worse than losing your children?"

Ashildr didn't seem overly bothered. "I keep that entry to remind me not to have any more."

This wasn't good. It was like she was actually me, as uncaring and dead inside as, well, Hela, to go down the Norse roots. "I've left you alone too long. I had no idea how much you'd suffered, how being in contact with my mind would send you down my path. But I remember the person you used to be, and she was far better than I am. There is already one of me, the universe does not need another one. She's still in there. I can help you find her."

"Spare me your pity, I'm fine."

"I think this is just another mask that you wear to protect you from the pain. Fuck knows I've seen enough masks, look at my parents."

The girl was still just looking at me. "I think the alternative frightens you, that this is who I've become."

"This is no way to live your life, de-sensitised to the world. The only reason I do it is because otherwise I have to deal with the same madness that plagues Missy."

"So you intend to fix me? Make me feel again, then run away?" That was usually how it worked. We couldn't sit still, we had to keep moving or we'd go insane. "I don't need your help, Gee, you need mine. Just this once, you can't run off like you usually do."

This wasn't right. She didn't even flinch as I mentioned that I had a mother this time, that we had a ship. Nothing here was right, something was wrong, she knew more than she should. "How do you know? How do you know what I usually do? We've met once in a Viking village. I didn't give you my life story, and you should only have known about my father. He doesn't like me mentioning my mother, he doesn't know that I remember my mother/ original father, nor that I am a psychopath with tendencies to torture and maim."

"It's true though, isn't it? You're the girl who just follows her parents, running away. Though one from a massacre stopped and the other from a massacre committed." I did not like this. "Maybe I just worked it out." And put her pistols into her belt, making me touch my blades, ensuring they were still there. I was looking forward to playing Infamous: Second Son. Neon looked fantastic, and that power would be awesome. I was basically a really awesome version of Rogue from X-Men. "Come on."

We out by the small door again, before I stopped hearing a faint growling. What was that? I did not like that. But then we were back on the horse, going towards the Fanshawe's home, Ashildr's mask on once again. "Housebreaks can be tricky."

I rolled my eyes. "Not for me. Broke into Buckingham palace to steal Queenie's breakfast once. Serious, never had a bacon roll like it before. Either way, I'm probably better. Watch this." And walked over to the door, touching the handle lightly, before tapping it in three places so it opened silently, the lock having been triggered. "And that is why they call me an Opener. Though I'm not the Lord Portico's daughter." She was just looking at me. "Ugh, the uneducated. Let me know when Neil Gaiman is around for you, you'll love it."

At which point I was handed a domino mask. "You'll need a mask, sidekick."

"Not a chance." And paused to draw around my eyes with my blue eyeshadow, masking my identity with sparkles and shimmer. "Done. I'm not your sidekick, I'm your big sister, the Knight Terror."

Inside the house was dark, so Ashildr went forward first, while I tried to dig out my phone again. "'Tis black as night. I have a tinderbox somewhere." By which point I'd pulled it out and shone around the torch part of it. Thank you mother, for making it the equivalent of 400 LED's. "Show off. Know where you're going, do you?" Probs, but sure, whatever, you lead. "The servant's stairs. Follow me."

So we started up the stairs, before I remembered what Father had thrown Einarr at the end of our visit. "Why are you still alone? What happened to the second immortality charge my dad gave you?"

I got shushed, before she showed it to me on the inside of her jacket. "No one's good enough." I tried to tell her that she was human and therefore needed someone, but I got shushed, yet again.

We paused for a moment on the landing, watching a maid wish her Lady goodnight, before Ashildr decided that there was a dressing room. She opened a door further on and went inside, leaving me to follow. And got annoyed with my beeping scanner as I went through the cupboards. "Galaxy! Galaxy Kaster, turn that thing off."

"Sure." I told her, having already found what I was looking for in a large box. The glowing purple gem in a diamond and pearl encrusted setting. "The Eyes of Hades. Long time no see, old friend." And into my bag did it go, before we started to head down and out of the house, going through into an open area as a door nearby opened. And a man was snorting away like a pig on the couch. "Let's just go round and see if we can't get out the back."

She agreed with me, but then a floorboard creaked louder than my heart was beating, the FitBit on my wrist starting to bleep softly as I remembered that all of my medications were in the TARDIS. Shit. "Lucie?" We ducked down and crawled on hands and knees as Fanshawe got up, taking hold of a candle. "Lucie? Lucie?"

He headed out of the room, letting us stand, but I collapsed as my heart lurched, knocking all breath out of me and I crashed into the fire iron. "There is an intruder on the premises! Bring me my blunderbuss!"

"No!" I snapped, barely upright as Ashildr pulled out her own gun. "No killing, not around me! Well, only if absolutely necessary. We need to get out of here, my heart is about to stop beating and I can't afford to regenerate here. We need to hide!"

And up the chimney we went, only just making it up before he was back in the room, calling for the militia being summoned. "Oh, I said you'd be a liability. Your heart is worse now than it was before. Just let me shoot them and be done with it!"

"You're the liability. I never have this trouble with Clara. Mostly because she's the keeper of my medications."

"Oh, is she still with you, is she?"

That made us both pause as we climbed. "Oh, you remember Clara, do you?"

"Of course. I take particular note of anyone's weaknesses. Yours are your father, mother and Clara." Basically. "So what's wrong with Clara, then?"

Damn, I wasn't the only one who noticed. There had been something wrong with her since I got hit by the car. "There's nothing wrong with her."

"Why haven't you made her immortal?"

"Well, look how you turned out."

"She'll die on you, you know. She'll blow away like smoke."

I rolled my eyes, pausing to try and catch my breath. "Please put a sock in it. Chances are, I'm going to drop dead first. I'm dying here and now, remember?" Then we got up to the roof, escaping out of the grounds and into the surrounding woods. "Robbery, burglary, that's capital. Meat and drink to the hangman, Ashildr."

"I'm not Ashildr." Yes you were. "I'm Me. And I fear no hangman in Christendom." At which point we were jumped by some idiot who was stood in front of us as I leant heavily on Ashildr's arm. "Sam Swift the Quick. I wouldn't be so bold if I were you. Don't you know who I am?"

"The Knightmare, which is why I'm not alone."

He had two accomplices. "'Tis hardly a fair fight."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "And it was fair when you stole my patch?"

"Is that a fake nose, Sam?" She asked, making me snort a little. "They should call you Sam Sniffed."

The guy obviously got offended. "What's wrong with it? It's perfectly normal, innit?"

I shrugged. "For an anteater maybe."

"Ooo! Well, never knew you were so puny, Knightmare. Or should I say, Slightmare."

Nope, no. I was out, no more, just give me the heart attack so I could get out of this. "No, not the puns. Line in the sand. No puns."

No one was listening to me. "It's what's in my brain that counts, Bingo Boy."

"Well, no brain outwits a bullet, Dandyprat." And out came his pistol.

People needed to shut up now. "This is banter. I'm against banter. I'm on record on the subject of banter." And then pulled out both of my blades, standing in a perfect stance to take off heads. "And on the record for guns."

"Lay down your arms, hand over the loot, or I'll shoot."

"We better had." Ashildr sighed. "He'll probably aim to miss and hit one of us."

Less painful than a heart attack. "We could give you cash instead."

"Who's this, your sidekick? You've got your sister as a sidekick?"

"The Knight Terror. And I'm not actually her sister, trust me. You're a little slow, aren't you Sam Swift the Quick?"

"You what?" And then Ash managed to grab his pistol. "Oi!"

"I rest my case. No-one outwits the Knightmare or more faster than the Knight Terror."

Sam tried to get his pistol back, he and Ashildr struggling for it on the ground as my heart suddenly juddered again, giving his accomplices the upper hand to put the pistols to my head. "If you value the life of your sidekick sister, back off! Put the weapon down!" He got his pistol back and threw off my old friend, then stood and pointed his weapon at me also. "Who's slow now, Knight Terror?"

At which point I threw fire at them, using a skill I didn't know I'd picked up from the Witcher 3, and moved quickly to get a blade around his throat from behind. "Not me. Now, you want to leave us alone, don't you?"

"Please, Knightmare, Knight Terror, I don't want to die. Let's have honour amongst us."

"What do you say, Sister? You should kill him. He'll be dead in a minute. What difference does it make?"

I took the blade away. "I don't kill. I am not my mother. But I'm not my father either." And whacked him around the back of the head so he fell unconscious. "I'm the one between them, the grey instead of black and white."

And started to walk again, tapping on my leg as the other two ran off, scared, and rightly so. Push me too far, and I'd snap. Back at her house, Ashildr went upstairs to do something, leaving me to try and make a herbal version of my heart serum, the amulet in front of me. "I have a theory about the amulet."

An old man cleared his throat, coming in from the servant's area. "Morning, Madam. Forgive me, but might I enquire into who you are?"

"Gee."

"Clayton, Madam." Then Ash was back, in a fuchsia coloured dress with a white lace trim. "Would you care for a cocktail, milady?"

"Oh, yes, please." And off he went, coughing. TB. He had a few months at most. "Half blind and deaf as a post. He is no use any more really, but-"

That was a good sign. "You keep him on. See, you do have a heart, one that works far better than mine. You don't fool me."

The girl didn't even rise to it. "How do I look?"

You were wearing my least favourite colour. "Pink. Look, why would an alien artefact resemble the Eyes of Hades, King of the Underworld? My mother wanted it, mostly because it was purple and, well, you've seen Evil Mary Poppins by now I expect, she checks up on me and threatens people I know." Ashildr took the jewel from me then went into the dining room, putting it into her drawstring purse. "An ancient Greek talisman which wards off evil and protects those in death on their journey to an afterlife, that's what it's meant to mean. But it's not, unless... Unless the mythology originated elsewhere."

"You can't wait to get going and find out, I'll wager."

"No." I replied, taking off the wig and let my hair down, the pale blonde tumbling down. "I think I want to stick around, and keep an eye on you for a while. Father won't miss me, not for a while, anyway."

She raised an eyebrow. "Get me back on track?"

Mostly. "Well, why not? Hey, we're a good team."

"Then take me with you."

"You don't want to get stuck with an old fool like my dad. Or caught in the middle of a fight between my parents when he eventually finds out what I did. You have this whole wonderful planet to play on."

This meant nothing to her. "It takes a day to get to Kent."

That was now, there was so much to look forward to. "In the future, you'll fly. You'll get these things called motorbikes, and oh, God, are they fantastic."

To Ashildr though, it was too long to wait. "I want to fly right now. I have waited longer than I should ever have lived. I have lost more than I can even remember. Please, Galaxy, just get me out of this. I want more than this. I deserve more than this." I just kept looking at her, not trusting her to come off world with an attitude like this. There was limited damage on Earth, leaving her here. Who knew what could happen if she got hold of actual weaponry. "Why not? Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't be good. Ashildr, please. Ashildr."

"I am not Ashildr any more."

Something big snarled nearby, my hand going back to my sword. "Something tells me that you're not a cat, and that is far too big to be a typical moggie, anyway."

Light started coming from behind a pair of doors, so I got up and opened them to reveal a man-sized biped with lights for eyes. It walks forward and I backed away, mostly confused that the being looked like a lion and was wearing a golden diadem. "Leandro, meet Galaxy Kasterborous." How the hell did you find out the Kaster was short for Kasterborous?! "You thought I was helping you. In fact, it was the other way round. Leandro, we have it. My friend here was as useful as I'd hoped."

Could people please just shut up? "If somebody needed my help, why did nobody just ask? I am forced to assume you have plans I wouldn't approve of. Oh, Ashildr." Then decided to pull a dad and have a mini-monologue. "Kill me. If you intend any harm to this planet or its people, then killing me is by far your best move. If you attack first, then at least I have clear conscience and my father can't complain that much."

The Lion just laughed. He was officially getting called Aslan, because he was not cool enough to be Simba. "You are not of this world, or part of my plans. I have no quarrel with you."

"Then tell me why you are here and what you intend to do." I informed him, my sword coming out. "Otherwise, get on with trying to kill me. But I advise you. Be very quick and very sure. This is face number three, got a long while yet."

"I am from Delta Leonis. My tribe was overthrown, my world destroyed, my wife killed as we escaped."

"Using the amulet? That was your means of travel."

There was a short nod. "I lost it when I crashed to Earth."

Ash was believing that he was telling the truth. "I found him in my grounds. He's been sleeping there while I searched for it."

Seriously? "The Underworld, gateway to an afterlife, another reality. My mother, who at the time was my father, wanted it for jewellry, he has a thing for the colour purple." And then looked solely at the girl that was in way over her head. "Fancy yourself as his new Queen? Hunting, running errands while he sleeps."

"Oh, dear God. I thought you at least would understand, but you're just like every other obedient woman." Excuse you? "I'm not looking for a husband, Gee. I'm looking for a horse to get me out of town. You said no."

"Oh, what? And you think you can trust him?"

"He knows what it is to be alone."

No, he didn't. Their species could only survive together, if he was here, there were more out there. "So do I. And so does my father."

She seemed to not understand. "Then how could you do what you did?"

"I'm looking for the headline here." I told them, ignoring the warning signs of my heart as I tried to exercise my will on her, to get her to be slaved to me for a while. "Well, you know, you want to escape? Well, go on. Escape as much as you like. Why would I not approve?"

"The amulet."

Oh. Yes. Right. "If I remember correctly, it needs a death. Every single death is a tiny fracture in reality, and the amulet can lever the fracture open. Primitive, but effective."

Neither of them cared that a life would be extinguished. "It's just exploiting an abundant resource. There's so much dying here."

This was pointless. "So who dies so you can run away?" She just called for her servant. No. I wouldn't let that man have his last few months ended because she couldn't wait for things to get a little more interesting on the planet. "No, you can't. He loves you."

"To the end, it would seem."

"Would you rather take his place?"

Aslan breathed fire at me, before Ashildr stood in front. Why wouldn't she let me be killed? "Not Galaxy Kaster. We agreed!"

This girl was up and down all the time. "Oh, Ashildr, daughter of Einarr, what happened to you?"

"You did, Terror. You happened."

Oh. Now. There was a name I hadn't been called for a very long time, not since I was only just 40 years old and I refused to allow him to call me that any longer. The Master and the Terror. "How did you know to call me that?"

At which point I was knocked out, my head not liking me at all as I came to. In a cupboard. Tied to a chair. Seriously? "I know you've suffered. Your children dying. I watched all my family die too, my adopted mum, my brother, my niece."

"They would have died anyway." Ash told me. "Human life is fleeting. People are mayflies, breeding and dying, repeating the same mistakes. It's boring. And I'm stuck here, abandoned by the one girl who should know what eternity feels like. Who should understand." I tried to say I did, but she didn't care anymore. "You still won't take me with you. You gad about while I trudge through the centuries, day by day, hour by hour. Growing up, did you ever think or care what happens after your father had flown away? All those stories that he told you, all the paintings on the wall of your Sanctuary, the people that he saved and travelled with. I live in the world he leaves behind, because you let him abandoned me to it."

"I know that I'm responsible. I saved your life, not knowing that your heart would rust the same as mine did because I kept it beating. I didn't think your conscience would need renewing, that the well of human kindness would run dry. I just wanted to save a terrified young woman's life. My excuse is that my mother almost robbed me of my decency. What's yours?"

She shook her head at that. "You didn't save my life, Galaxy. You trapped me inside it. As you said, you curse me. And now I've found someone who can set me free. Someone who understands."

Please just kill me. "Look, I don't know what Aslan is up to, but I know his type. I have shagged his type. Very first argument, guaranteed he'll bite your head off."

"Or I'll bite his off, like you probably did." She smiled back. "Perhaps I'll enjoy that."

You probably would. "You're playing with fire. Open that portal and you have no idea what horrors might come through."

"That's as good a reason as any to do it."

"You're not like this. I know you're not. You are better than I am, Ash!"

I just got glared at as I gasped, my vision lurching as I got shocked by something in my wrist. He did not... Fucking hell, dad, defibrillators were supposed to be on the heart, not the wrist! "This is exactly what I'm like. This is what you made of me."

"He'll kill you."

"He'll have to be fast. And if he does, perhaps it's about time."

Then there was knocking at the door as I wondered what else my FitBit was. If there was a tracker on it, all monitoring of my heart was gone because that was just not happening. "Lady Me?" Two pikemen rushed into the house, leaving me to scooch my butt closer to the doorway on the doorway. "Oh, Lady Me, thank goodness you are safe. Sam Swift has been captured and he swore the Knightmare was heading in this direction."

The girl shook her head. "I've not seen him." Because you weren't looking in a mirror.

"Sam Swift will hang in Tyburn at noon."

"In half an hour?" Then looked over her shoulder at me. "A guilty man destined to die? No harm in that. I have not seen the Knightmare. But this is his sidekick, his sister, the Knight Terror. She was robbing me. I only just managed to overpower her."

And a scroll was checked, making me roll my eyes as I knew what was on there. Wanted! The Woman known as the Knight Terror. "You will hang for this!"

"Good luck with that, you'll be hung up talking to God before you can even touch me. Ashildr!"

Even she knew that hanging me was dangerous. "She needn't hang. But keep her under lock and key, for all our sakes."

Clayton entered, making the other man Llewelyn draw his pistol. "Was that the door? Oh, dear. Always the quiet ones."

"Goodbye, Clayton." Then smiled at me. "You see? I do have a heart."

"In which case, don't do it. Or yours will be a husk like mine, Ashildr. You might as well cut it out now." Only she just headed out of the house to her coach. "Do I look like some feckless thief? My name is not Knight Terror, but I am known as a Terror. You're going to want to let me go. Mostly because I know Cromwell."

"Tell it to the Newgate gaoler."

I rolled my eyes. "OK, I'm done" And then concentrated on them, the air turning to jelly as I started to control my current captors. "You will let me go, and you will also give me your car keys." I then realised my mistake as I was getting cut free. "Bugger. I've got to ride a piggin' horse. Oh, and help yourselves to the gold under the stairs. I'm going to go drown someone almost to death and then leave her in a Convent so she gets no fun for the next millennia."

And then headed off on the horse, my thighs hating me as I reached the castle bridge, jumping off just before I got to the crowds. "Everyone out of the way!" I yelled, not caring about the idiots who were gawking. "Oh, I shouldn't have wasted my power on those idiots. Move out of my way, for crying out loud!"

Sam was already up on the platform, paying the piper so to speak. And trying to make his last few minutes meaningful. "All right, all right. As God is my Highwayman. He steals the most precious gift of all. Life. Magical, filled with adventures. And at least I can say I lived mine to the full."

"I love you, Sam Swift."

Then Sam saw me, my eyes recognisable even if I wasn't wearing my wig. "Is that the Knight Terror? Um. Doctor, doctor, I have trouble getting to sleep at nights."

Seriously? A Doctor joke? So, so glad my father wasn't here. "Lie on the edge of the bed - you'll soon drop off."

The crowd laughed, meaning that he was getting more time as I moved towards the stage. "Er, Doctor, doctor."

"Quick man, I'm running out of patients!"

"Have you ever seen such a sidekick so beautiful?"

"I'm no one's sidekick."

"She's so stunning, she bedazzled even Cromwell himself."

Please, that guy had a stick up his arse so wide that he can barely sit down. "And his nose is so big that-"

He finished his own joke. "They'll have to widen the noose!"

I was going with something else, but sure, lets keep it PG. "Or, or bury him in a pyramid."

"You know what they say, big nose-" So much for PG.

"Big handkerchief!"

The crowd laughed as the Hangman manhandled Sam back to the noose. "No! Terror, don't leave me hanging."

Oh, bugger all... Next time I was bringing the Psychic Paper. "EVERYONE STAY STILL!" I yelled, pulling a Killgrave and controlling everyone at once. I was going to regret this in the morning. "This man is innocent and you believe that Cromwell has pardoned him! No one is being hanged today!"

Everyone at once believed me, making me sigh in relief before Sam himself caught me as my heart stuttered again, not liking what I was putting it through. I needed to fix this, to make a synthetic extra heart. "Thank you."

"So, no one is being hanged today, are they?" Ashildr asked me darkly, coming over with the Eye of Hades in her hand. "Well, there's always another way."

"No! Ashildr, no! No!" I shouted, before the girl shoved me away from Sam, and slapped the Eye onto his chest. It stuck fast, using his life to power the breakage into the other land. "Purple, the colour of death. It's why Missy likes it so much, you idiot! His life force is opening a portal."

She just smiled at me. "To my new life."

No. No life was coming from there. Only death. "Or to Hell."

Aslan then made an appearance, breathing fire at the crowd before pointing back at the rift. "Goodbye, Galaxy Kaster."

"You are going nowhere."

"Doors work both ways." I told her softly, still sat as I could barely feel my fingers. "They let people out and they let the enemy in."

"What's that? What's happening? What are those things?"

Something that you'd hopefully live long enough to discover. "Space ships, or they will be. They're coming through the rift, actualising in this plane of reality."

She looked in shock at Aslan. "You said you were the last of the Leonians. We were meant to escape."

"You shall. In death."

The crowd screamed as fireballs came flying through and exploded on the ground. Aslan attacked the crowd, scattering and fleeing. "No! Gee, what have I done? What have I done to these people? Stop this! They are defenceless."

She attacks Aslan before I weakly got to my feet, swaying slightly. "Ashildr! He doesn't care. Oh, buggering hell, I need to start carrying a bag! Ash, I can't fight, not properly!"

The girl was still lost about caring. "But I do. Oh, God, I do. I actually do. I, I care."

"It's awful, isn't it? It's infuriating." I nodded with a small smile, the girl supporting me. "You think you don't care, then you fall off the wagon. Trust me, my parents get joint custody, I'll go from caring one week then the next laughing while we boil a city."

"Never mind about that." Good point, we needed to focus. "What are we going to do about them? We have to help them. They need you. They need us."

Exactly. "Welcome back."

"Well? Do something then!"

Fuck, fuck, fuck, think, Gee. Galaxy, you were smart, you liked maths, do the maths... "Okay. Okay. Er. Eyes of Hades. Afterlife. Death opens up a gateway. We need to close it. Sam Swift, he's the conduit. The amulet, it's still in him. It's his death that's opening the rift. So what do we do?"

Ash caught up. "Reverse it."

Aslan thought he'd won. "You cannot reverse death."

"Oh, yes, we can." And held up the other Mire chip, not letting him grab it before running and forced it into Sam's forehead.

"No, my lady. They will destroy me for this." The ray changed from purple to gold, Aslan roaring at Ashildr, who hid behind me. What the hell could I do? "The light of immortality. Spare me, my brothers!"

He was disintegrated, and the rift closed. "I'm alive. I'm alive!" Funny that, Sam.

We headed to a nearby alehouse, giving me a chance to rest and try to slow my heart again, dozing slightly on the table as we spoke. Needed to stay calm. "Last thing I remember is you turning up, Terror." Oh, that name... "Good thing too. Between you and me, I was running out of material."

"Yeah, I could tell." I muttered, purple wig back over my head. "Gave a whole new meaning to dying on stage."

"Gallows humour can be tricky, but at least there's never a second house." Unless you were Time Lord. "We've nearly finished these. I'll get some more in. Oh, by the way, I've not forgotten that kiss."

The idiot headed off, before Ash looked at me. "Is he immortal now?"

Didn't have a fucking clue. "Do you want him to be?"

She shook her head. "I don't think I want anyone to be."

"Well, probably not." I lied, lifting my head a little. "Probably the power would have been drained by the whole opening and reversing the portal thingy. There'll be enough power to bring him back, but not enough power to keep him here, probably."

"Did you just make all of that up?"

Pretty much. "Yeah. But it's hard to keep track of all this stuff. Keep an eye on him though. He might be around for a while. Or not. Who can say?"

"You're still not going to take me with you, are you."

I couldn't. Put you and dad together, it wouldn't end well. "People like us, we go on too long. We forget what matters. The last thing we need is each other. We need the mayflies. See, the mayflies, they know more than we do. They know how beautiful and precious life is because it's fleeting. Look how Sam Swift made every last moment count, right to the gallows. Look how glad he is to be alive. I looked into your eyes and I saw my worst fears, because I'm worse than you and I'm younger. Weariness. Emptiness. That's why you can't travel with me. Our perspectives are too vast. Too far away. You're not the first, you know. Dad did travel with another immortal once. Captain Jack Harkness."

"Who?"

Oh, I'd heard the stories. He could turn a man gay just by telling them his name. "He'll get round to you eventually, trust me. Who told you about me? The daughter of a man who comes for the battle and runs away from the fallout. The daughter of the woman who kills for fun."

"Take your pick." She replied. "You've had an impact on this world. You've made waves."

"Sometimes tidal waves."

She took it as a compliment. "I'm flattered."

I nodded in agreement. "Well, you should be. You're an extraordinary woman, Ashildr. But I think I'm going to have to keep an eye on you. Once I can actually see straight. That would help."

"No." What? "Someone has to look out for the people you and yours abandon. Who better than me? I'll be the patron saint of the Pratchett and Masters leftovers. While you're busy protecting this world, I'll get busy protecting it from you. I'll be there if you ever need to be stopped like you stopped me."

Oh, now there was a murder suicide pact. "So are we enemies now? Are you the Doctor to my Missy? Or is it the other way around?"

The smile on her face told me she liked my wording. "Of course not. And you're the perfect mix of them both, making me, if anyone, Davros. Enemies are never a problem, anyway. It's your friends you have to watch out for. And, my friend, I'll be watching out for you."

A curse could easily become a blessing if viewed the correct way. "Ashildr, I think I'm very glad I saved you."

"Oh, I think everyone will be."

I headed back to the TARDIS after that, moving quietly into the console room to try and get to my heart meds and then to bed. Part of me thought I'd gotten away with it, but as I went to go into the main corridors, I heard a familiar guitar riff. "Busted."

"Oh, very busted, young lady." He agreed, taking my arm as I slumped against the wall. "Did you really think that it wouldn't alert me if it had to shock you, Gee? Are you alright? God, you're barely functioning."

"Thanks for that." I muttered, resting my head on the chair as he helped me over to it and then injected the beta blockers. "I'm fine. Just... Picking up on some loose ends from something. Oh, that's good. Very good. Heart functioning as a heart and not a boom box. Daddy, ever tell you how much I love you?"

I was preaching a choir. "You're still grounded." Shit.

The console had already been pre set to move us somewhere, so a moment later Clara came in, smiling at us, oblivious to how tired and bruised I was. "Did you miss me?"

Grinning weakly, I pulled my best friend to sit on my lap, too tired to get up and hug her. "Be more specific. Who are you again?"

"Ha, ha. I've got a present for you."

"Why? Am I ill?" She shook her head, though knew I was always ill. "Are you ill?"

"No."

She's lying, Galaxy...

Mummy, piss off please.

Dad tried now, while I got reprimanded for putting myself at risk. Great, both my parents were grounding me. "Are you never going to travel with me again, because I said a thing? Did Galaxy say a thing?"

"It's not a good present." Oh, that was disappointing. "Okay, Evie Hubbard? Year Seven, you helped her out with her homework? Imaginary interview with Winston Churchill. You basically cheated."

Not my fault. Besides, Uncle Winston was awesome. "That was her fault because she should have stressed imaginary."

"Anyway, she got an A and so she has sent you a selfie."

Clara held up her phone for us to see the photograph. Obviously Father turned away. "Yes, you're right. That is not a good present." Then started to think about what he actually wanted. "Do they make sherbet lemons anymore? And I'd like a Ferrari. What about a Ferrari?"

"Hmm. I knew you'd be thrilled. Gee?"

Ugh, fine. She handed over her phone with the photograph of herself, Evie and the certificate. Oh, please, please... Ashildr, why her? Why did you need to be near her? "Tell her next time, we'll take cash. Or, she can nick me some art supplies, I'm running low."

Clara rolled her eyes. "So, where are you going to take me?"

"Wherever you want." Father told her as I hugged my bestie closer. "After Gee has a nap, and she's not allowed her scanner." She frowned. "Galaxy Kaster decided to go on a little adventure on her own, minus her heart meds." In my defence, my plan was to go, get it, and come back. Ashildr wasn't planned.

I just hugged my friend though, desperate for her to stay, to be permanent like we were. "I've missed you, Clara Oswin Oswald."

"Well, don't worry, mental bestie. I'm not going anywhere."

Oh, you'd better not...


	23. Chapter TwentyThree

The Doctor:

A crocodile of school children were being escorted by two women teachers as I sat on a swing in the play area, trying to get hold of my daughter or her best friend. "Hi, this is Georgia Pratchett. I'm probably in class, in the hospital or in outer space. Leave a message!"

"Hello, it's Doctor Disco, your father. Why the hell are you still calling yourself Georgia?" Then actually moved on to my point. "I'm in the twenty first century. I don't know what month. I'm staking out some of the most dangerous creatures imaginable." Two little girls stopped to stare at me. "Operating under deep cover. Trying not to attract suspicion. Give me a call, Galaxy. Nightmare Scenario. I'm worried." And then hung up to go talk to the girls by the monkey bars. "Okay. Hey, Monster High and Cinderella. Down off the monkey bars. Listen to me. We've got to talk."

They were being very serious with me as I tried to actually get them to talk to me, wondering why my daughter and her friend were taking so long. "Look, I admire you, okay? I think you're ingenious. Pretending to be a couple of seven year olds is a splendid way to conceal your blobbiness. But let's not pretend. You're very blobby. In fact, you two are the big blobs. And you are not patrolling the ceasefire." The girls climbed down, making me have to go down the slide. "Fine. Fine, bury your heads. Listen to me. Listen! There are other factions. I know that there are other blobby factions that you don't control. They're planning something. And if we don't get together and stop it, it'll be the end of this. Of all of you."

Jemima shook her head. "This is our jurisdiction, Doctor. These are our creatures. We are close to finding them."

Claudette nodded in agreement. "They are our children, and we will deal with them."

"Your kids are out of control. Trust me, I've had two of my own, I know it's hard." I told them both, knowing that I had no choice right now. "I'm taking this out of your hands." And now my phone was actually ringing, so I sighed, walking away to answer it. "Don't even think about going anywhere. Are you phoning me with your backside again, or are you really sending me a distress signal?"

"I'm really sending you a distress signal." Kate informed me. "They've kidnapped Osgood and they've stolen the location of every Zygon on Earth. Doctor, the ceasefire's broken down."

At which point red gas started hissing from an alien canister, my hearts lurching as I started to run towards it. "Hey! Away! Away! Get those kids out of the way! Out of the way! Out of the way! Out of the way! Move! Out of the way!"

The school children and their teachers fled, Zygons stepping through the gas to grab Jemima and Claudette, the two girls screaming as they were carried away to a nearby Parks Maintenance van, registration LR55 YOY. It left with a squeal of tyres so I runs back to the TARDIS, past a black three finger symbol on the notice board.

Next stop was the UNIT safe house, watching the video of the Osgood that had been sent as ransom, reading a prepared statement. Surrounded by Zygons, either her own kind or her sisters kind, whatever one she was. "UNIT troops will be destroyed wherever they are in the world. The enemies of our race will be destroyed wherever they are in the world. The war is about to begin. There will be truth or there will be consequences."

So I pulled out my phone and called my daughter again. "Hi, this is Georgia Pratchett. I'm probably in class, in the hospital or in outer space. Leave a message!"

"Call me now."

It took her all of about 20 minutes, sounding like her best friend was with her. Could neither of them answered? Seriously? "Did you just call yourself Doctor Disco?"

We picked them up on the way to the school, my daughter with her long blonde and blue hair up in a messy bun as she played Pokemon on her DS, not paying attention, but nothing was new there. "This is where the Zygon High Command had their secret base."

Clara, however, was confused, her own hair in one of those ties to, the horsey tail or whatever. "A junior school?"

Inside, there were photographs of Jemima and Claudette on a wall collage, the girls secretly in charge of an entire species. "Terms of the settlement, Operation Double, were these. Twenty million Zygons, the entire hatchery, were allowed to be born and to stay on Earth. They were permitted to permanently take up the form of the nearest available human beings."

"In this case, a large percentage of the population of the UK." Who was she?

I lead them all to the boiler room, Kate still annoyed by what I'd left her with. "You left us with an impossible situation, Doctor."

"Yes, I know. It's called peace." I replied, lifting something out of Galaxy's way before she pulled everything down on top of her. "Put it down and look where you are going. I'm not taking you to the hospital any time soon." She flipped me off, obviously. "What about the two little girl commanders? Weren't they helping you?"

"They've been almost impossible to deal with since Osgood left." Well, so was I. I liked Osgood, so did Galaxy. "Secretive, uncommunicative. We've known there's something going on. Some radicalisation, some revolution in the younger brood. They said they had it under control." And now we were going through into the command centre, an area festooned with red cords or cables. A giant sized polyp stood proud.

"The Zygon command centre. That's the control polyp for all Zygons on Earth."

"It's horrible."

Galaxy was handed the torch as I got to work splashing liquid from the pool in the centre of the polyp onto its fronds, then caressing some horns. "If this has been compromised, the Zygons are wide open. They'll be starting to panic. Starting to worry."

My daughter didn't look exactly happy about watching this. "Daddy, do you want to be alone with that thing?"

She was definitely her mothers daughter. Libby this time, she always teased me. Wonder how it would be if she ever met River, her step mother. In her life time, she'd had a biological mother from Earth, who may or may not be Lucy Saxon, Libby, my wife and her adopted mother, Missy, who was her biological father and now mother, and also River Song, my wife. 4 mothers. "It's a command computer. You operate it by titivating the fronds."

"Are you enjoying that?"

Not the best thing I'd ever done with a Zygon, to be honest. "I snogged a Zygon once. Old habits." Screens came to life, booting up with Sapphire. "Still got the old magic."

"So, Osgood's been kidnapped, right?" Clara asked, her arms folded. "I thought Osgood was dead."

"There've always been two of her, ever since the ceasefire." Kate explained to the girls. "We never knew which one was real."

I rolled my eyes. "Both of them."

She tried to clarify something that couldn't be broken down. "Okay, which one was Zygon."

"Both of them." I insisted. "They would have maintained a live link. They were both Zygon and human at the same time. They not only administered the peace, they were the peace."

The random woman started to talk now, making me just keep doing what I was doing. Who invited her? Why couldn't I have one of the Smith's? They both worked at UNIT, Sky and Luke. "When the other Osgood died, the survivor went pretty much mad with grief. Then she just disappeared. Went undercover in the States. Now, of course, the rebels have her."

Rebels were always wanting things. "Ah ha! Okay. Zygons hatched and dispersed all over, but something's gone wrong. Mexico border, North Asia, West Africa, Australia. Panic. Paranoia. What would happen if they knew who we were?"

A thing beeped behind me, making us all go towards random lady. "We've received another video."

"That's the Zygon High Command." The UNIT leader told us, like we didn't already know them on sight. "It's Jemima and Claudette."

"We have been betrayed. We were sold. Our rights were violated. We demand the right to be ourselves. Normalise. Normalise!"

Then they were forced to turn to their natural forms, before being zapped to dust by two of the surrounding Zygons. "We are now the Zygon High Command. All traitors will die. Truth or consequences."

Which was the end of the message, leaving me to start to come up with a plan. "So, we have a Zygon revolution on our hands. We need to open negotiations."

Kate shook her head. "I'm not negotiating with them. As far as they're concerned, everyone's a traitor."

Clara was trying to think as well, Gee looking surprisingly unaffected by all of this. Normally she'd be raging by now, especially over Osgood. "If you're not going to negotiate, what are you going to do?"

"They're holed up in this settlement in Turkmenistan." Kate explained to her. "It's where they've taken Osgood. I'm going to order Colonel Walsh to bomb it.

"Isn't there a solution that doesn't involve bombing everyone?" Galaxy asked, not looking happy with that plan. "I don't even care what they've done, chances are there are hostages and I'm not in the mood to watch you go and tell a lod of mothers their kids aren't coming home. Besides, you'd radicalise the lot, which is what the splinter group wants."

Obviously they were starting to sense animosity between themselves. "The treaty's been comprehensively violated, Terror." Who?

"Truth or consequences." Random woman repeated, trying to calm the situation. "What exactly does that mean?"

"It's just the usual kind of nonsense these idiots call themselves."

At which point Clara surprised everyone. "It's in New Mexico." All eyes on the short one. "It's a town in New Mexico. Truth or Consequences. Er, they renamed it after a TV show, for a bet or something. It's a Trivial Pursuit question. I used to memorise Trivial Pursuit questions so I could win." Oh, that was so totally her.

Kate looked at her assistant. "That's the last place we received signal from Osgood's phone, isn't it? New Mexico."

Good enough for me. I go by myself, leave the girls with you, and hope that Galaxy didn't kill anyone. Was really trying to save her soul but she wasn't making it easy. "Okay. Kate Stewart, no bombs for you. Go to Truth Or Consequences. See what you can find out. The Doctor will go to Turkmenistan. Negotiate peace, rescue Osgood, and prevent this war, cos that's what he does. Galaxy Kaster, Clara, Jac, you stay here. This is your country. Protect it from the scary monsters. And also from the Zygons."

"Dad, not my country, but sure. Also, fairly sure I'm one of the scary monsters." Yes, but I wasn't going to add that, they were only just letting you off your probation period here. "I played Watchdogs last, I can interface with electronics again. Go do your thing, I'll be fine."

Probably, but I was leaving you Clara just to be on the safe side. "Oh, and do you still have the presidential aircraft?"

They both looked at me now. "I thought you didn't like being President of the World."

"No, but I like poncing about in a big plane."

And posed on the steps of my lovely big aeroplane, before went inside and enjoyed, not, the long trip abroad. They met me with some range rovers, toy landies, at the other end so I could get a lift to the camp. "At ease. I'm the President of the World. I'm here to rescue people and generally establish happiness all over the place. The Doctor. Doctor Funkenstein."

"Yes, we know who you are." Oh, I officially knew how Harriet felt.

"Going to strike altitude."

"What's going on here? Fun and games?" At which point I heard the radio telling me that they were getting close to the town. "You're not bombing that town. That's where they're holding my friend."

Walsh just shook her head at me. "They're dangerous. And your friend is almost certainly dead. I'm not going to allow them to disperse. You can't track a shape-shifter."

One of the women at the desk was keeping her eyes trained on the screen. "Visual on the target."

"Confirm strike." For crying out loud... "Confirm strike."

But the woman was looking at the image on her screen, and seeing a man and boy waving at her. The same man and boy from the photo on her console. "Strike aborted. Strike aborted."

"Well, that's interesting."

Walsh got annoyed by then, so started to load up the Land Rovers to go and check out the base closer, explaining to me as she did so. "We think it's a Zygon training camp. We never see more than one or two of them outside at any one time. But they always take different shapes, we don't know how many there really are. We don't know how they come and go. Whether they go through tunnels, or whether they turn into dogs and run out across the hills."

OK, time for ome recon then. We could work it out while the girls worked things out back home. "So, that's what we'll find out."

"We should have that gas. We should be able to rip them inside out."

Why were humans so violent? They really needed to take a chill tablet. Was that the saying? Probably, but who cared? "Colonel, take it easy. They're trying to unsettle you. They're trying to make you paranoid and panicked."

"Any living thing in this world, including my family and friends, could turn into a Zygon and kill me, any second now." She replied darkly, telling me that she'd thought every little thing through. "It's not paranoia when it's real." Then we were ready and on the move, the Landies all moving slowly but steadily towards the little settlement. "Okay, listen carefully. Once we get to the village we have a thirty minute window before the airstrike. We all know what a rabbit warren this place is, but we've got intel they're holed up inside the church. Hitchley, you take the front, storm it, draw their fire. The Doctor and I will take the back."

Before they could all swan off, I held out a photo of Osgood. Priority. "This is our object. We need to get her back, safely. Try to kill as few of them as possible. I need have to have someone to negotiate with."

Their leader gave them all a hard, knowing look. "You know what they're capable of. Do not fall victim to it. Truck open. Code Green."

"Let's move out!"

Walsh and I went through the graveyard to the back of the church, Hitchley firing three shots into the air around the front. Osgood, you'd better be alive in there... "Come out! Throw down your weapons! Come out! We have you surrounded! Come out of there!" No movement. "Come out, we have you surrounded!"

The carved church door opened and an old woman came out. No, no, they were playing games... "I don't have any weapons. Please."

"Take aim. On my command."

She was trying to win him over. "No. No, don't, please. Johnny, you don't understand."

Luckily he had more sense than I thought. For a short while. "You're not my mother. Don't use my name."

His mum was good at this, or at least the Zygon wearing her face was. "They took us here. They came to the house and took us. They took your sister. Me."

She started to walk down the steps, but he wasnt giving in. Yet. "Stay where you are."

"It's not us who are the impostors." The woman insisted. "Don't let them trick you. It's your commanders, your chief. They're the aliens." None of you were aliens! Most of you were born on this freaking planet! This was as bad as human immigration laws.

Walsh tried to speak to her men and women. "Do not fall victim. Ask for details. She's a copy. Ask something only your mum could know."

"Mom, I'm going to have to ask you some questions."

"Don't do this." Mrs Hitchley begged her son. "You know it's me. Don't let them trick you."

"Date and place of my birth."

The woman just changed the subject back. What parent could forget when their child was born? "They brought us here. They're using us against you. I'm scared. Please, I'm so scared."

"Name of my favourite teddy bear." Mr Owl and Pootle for Gee, and Tyler had Amanda the Panda.

"I don't remember. I'm sorry, I don't." The guns were raised slightly. "Don't kill me because I can't remember!"

More people came out of the church, the soldiers start to lower their weapons as they recognised them. "Stay back! All of you, stay back from them! That is not your mother. It is an alien hostile."

What people could attack their families without solid proof, Walsh? "We're not those creatures. We're hostages." Walsh was still quietly yelling through the comms. "I can prove it." She was almost within reach of her son. "I can prove who we are. Just come inside, I'll show you."

Their boss was powerless. "Don't go in there."

All of those men were lost. We just had to get Osgood... "Please."

"You're not my mom."

And out came the waterworks. "Oh, God, you're going to kill me." Of course it threw the human, close to tears himself. "You are. You're going to kill me. I love you. I forgive you and I love you."

Walsh tried to make them from afar, but as the soldiers all raise their weapons again, Hitchley lowerd his gun. "What proof?"

"Don't go in there." Walsh insisted. "You're going to your death! Hitchley, kill it."

"Let's go. Over and out, ma'am."

The soldiers followed their relatives into the church. "This is pointless! Just let me go in and talk!"

So we ran round the church, Walsh shooting the lock off a side door.

Inside, the both of us entered a room with a strategy table laid out, sets of hairy bundles on the floor, still sizzling with electricity. "They've executed my men."

"Where are the Zygons?"

"We need to bomb the hell out of this place." She informed me. "It's infested with these things. We can't tell who the enemy is any more, we can't count them and we can't track them!"

And? That was basically humanity as well, you got everywhere. "I'm not going to let you do that."

That made her glare at me. "I just lost my men, I'll quite happily bomb the hell out of anywhere. We need to move. Strike's on its way."

"I need to find Osgood." As I had kept telling you.

She just shrugged. "You've got ten minutes."

Then left, leaving me alone to try and find my friend. Missy destroyed her sister, all of this was on her. I had to keep Gee away from her, so she couldn't feed that darkness and make her the same. "Help! Help!"

Ah, now that was the person I was looking for. '"Osgood! Osgood!"

I stomped on the floor, looking for a trap door that would take me to her as she recognised my voice. "Doctor! Doctor, I'm here! Doctor, I'm down here!"

I found the trap door under a carpet in a small corridor, jumping down the ladder inside before turning on a torch. "Osgood!" A jet flew overhead just as I found her sitting, manacled. "Got to get you out. They're going to bomb this place. What do the Zygons want?"

"They're training, practising new skills." She told me as I freed her with the glasses, repaired after the Viking mishap. We hadn't spoken about Ashildr. "Doctor, what are you doing here? Where's Galaxy Kaster?"

"Rescuing you. In quite a dashing way, I might add. My First Lady is back home running the show."

"They fled through the tunnels." She told me as I pulled her up to her feet. "They're going back to the UK. If you're here, they've got you out of the way. Who's left in the UK? Besides GeeK."

"Clara." Now a zygon appeared, repeating the name of my daughters best friend. "Oh, hello." Then as the missile hit, a load of rocks fell on top of him. "They've started. So much for ten minutes."

So after tying up our new Zygon friend, we wheeled him into the plane on a box trolley, like Missy before. It was just going to hold this time. I was just trying t talk to my daughter, who wasn't answering again. "Hi, this is Georgia Pratchett. I'm probably in class, at the hospital or in outer space. Leave a message!"

"Can you change your voicemail message, please love, it's getting very boring." The Osgood sat down behind me so I turned to look at her. Different Doctor motif this time. "Oh, I see you've accessorised it."

She nodded at me. Human or Zygon? She truly could be either and that did scare me slightly. "The old question marks."

"You used to wear question marks."

This was true. I had many a questionable fashion choice. Where was a drum kit when you needed one? Back Dumb 'Tis. "Oh, I know, yes, I did."

"They were nice." She commented with a smile."Why don't you wear them any more?"

Well, I was more for minimalism now. Or Magicians. Either one, couldn't remember. "Oh, I do. I've got question mark underpants."

The smile changed to a sly one. "Makes one wonder what the question is."

Probably why I was wearing pants instead of briefs. But I needed an answer, so I pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Which one are you? Human or Zygon?"

"I don't answer that question."

That didn't include me. "Why not?"

"Because there isn't a question to answer. I don't accept it. My sister and I were the living embodiment of the peace we made. I will give all the lives that I have to protect it. Like I think your daughter will die to keep the truce you're forced to have with her mother." GeeK... She didn't know the half of it, if either of us had tried to tell her, we'd have been in excruciating pain until we regenerated. "You want to know who I am, Doctor? I am the peace. I am HumanandZygon."

That was why I really didn't like not knowing right now. It was coming and I didn't like my theory. "Like a hybrid."

"A hybrid, if you like."

"Well, I'm proud to know you, Osgood." I sighed, hoping that rules were rules with Zygons, unlike Time Lords. "And I promise that I won't tell anyone that you're a human. Zygons need to keep the human original alive to refresh the body print. If you were a Zygon, you'd've changed back within days of your sister's death."

It just wasn't to be. "Those were the old rules, before Zygons could pluck loved ones from your memory and wear their faces. Zygons only need to keep the original alive if they need more information from them. If the interrogation is over, then the original can die."

Once we were up in the air, and the Zygon was awake and roaring, I got right to business and tried to work out the plan. "Bit of first-things-first-ness. What's your name? My name's." Not important. "Well, you can call me the Doctor. But then you knew that, didn't you? You want something. What is it?"

"You are the President of the World?"

Among other things. Also president of Gallifrey, as it happened. "I suppose so."

"We want the world." Then laughed. "We want the truth of who we are to be acknowledged. We want to live as ourselves. At any cost. We want a home."

Not really going to end well. In just about a year they were going to leave the EU and elect Wheat Woman. Not a clue what her name really was, but she liked fields of wheat. "Well, you can't have the United Kingdom. There's already people living there. They'll think you're going to pinch their benefits."

"We're already there, Doctor. The invasion's already taken place, bit by bit, over the last year. We've won the first battle. And now, we are going to begin the war." Now my phone was ringing, the theme tune to Pokemon. Who else was that going to be? "Answer it. Say goodbye. This plane will never land."

Whatever you say, mate. "Really. Galaxy?"

"Father." Oh, that was a but cold. "There you are."

"GeeK, I'm glad you're okay. Is Clara with you? Wait, stupid question, when isn't she? Listen."

My daughter solved calm and very focused. Was she doing a puzzle on Professor Layton!? I told her to stop playing that when we were having adventures, she got too easily distracted by it. "You're breaking up."

"The invasion has happened. You're probably surrounded by Zygons. Get to the TARDIS, get yourself safe.Yes, I'm giving you permission to fight, just get safe, please, Love. And apparently my plane is never going to land, but let's see what we're going to do about that."

"I'm sorry, but Galaxy Kaster and Clara's dead." No. No, no, no, not happening. Not after everything that happened, everything that I did to keep her safe and happy... "Kate Stewart is dead. The UNIT troops are all dead."

The voice changed, to Clara's as I paced back and forth. "Truth or consequences."

Girls! And then there was a loud explosion. Oh, my little Universe...


	24. Chapter TwentyFour

Galaxy:

My fucking head hurt. Last time I stayed up all night playing Siege with Kim and Matty online. Finally found someone who was up at my level, but Kim was currently living out in Penang with her Malaysian family, and Matty was kinda scared of meeting online friends. Quite fun having friends outside of aliens and my life. Not even mum knew about them.

Blearily, I glared at my alarmclock, before having to double take. Was that... Was that backwards first? 6:26. Had to be at uni for 9 to draw the naked peeps. Oh, I missed caffeine, why did dad have to make it so he was alerted if I drank it?

I got up out of my bed, turning off my machines and unhooking myself before stumbling into the bathroom after Clara. Who also looked out of sorts, but didn't even look at me as I want to brush my teeth. Only dropped the brush into the sink as I saw that it was black. Was this Silent Hill? A bit of Rezzie Evil? "GeeK?"

"Dad?" I asked, going into the living room as Clara followed me. "Ok, something is not right. Ow..."

"You're breaking up!"

"That wasn't me." I muttered, hand over my heart as we looked at the static crackling on the screen. "Daddy?"

"The invasion has happened.You're probably surrounded by Zygons." No, we were at home... Weren't we?"Get to the TARDIS, get yourselves safe. And yes, that means you can fight, just get safe, Love.Apparently my plane is never going to land.Let's see what we can do about that!"

My voice started speaking again. "I'm sorry, but Galaxy Kaster and Clara's dead." And so was your sense of grammar, apparently, Zygella. There was two of us, we are dead not is dead.

Clara ran to the front door and opened it, but there was only a blank wall behind it. I checked the window in the living room and opened the curtains. Blank. "Dream checks. You take the paper, I've got my art." So she started to read the paper as I looked through my portfolio. Empty, aside from my name signed at the bottom of each page. Galaxy Kasterborous Vivienne Minerva Pratchett. "Oh, shit. Well, we need to get in on this."

"It's your decision, Doctor." The TV told us as I started messing with the connection. They'd tried putting a very powerful hypnotist and mind controller into a dream state. This wasn't going to last and they had to know it, I had already linked Clara into me. "Truth or consequences."

Now the television showed Galaxy-Zygon's viewpoint, through the missile launcher to dads aeroplane. So I tipped the screen quickly, so it missed as her arm jerked. "Not my father, you bitch."

Only with the help of Zygon Clara, she managed to reload andaimed. We both strained to move the TV again, but it wouldn't budge. Instead, I shaped my hand as if it was on the trigger, pushing my mind into hers, and tried to stop my counterpart from squeezing. Unfortunately even biting it didn't help, showing me that she had a decent amount of my power copied and GeeK-Z fires the missile. The aeroplane went Ka-BOOM! The two girls just turning away, satisfied.

Yeah, but they didn't think to look closely, at the two parachutes falling from the debris. Dad and Osgood. "They're alive. Do you have any idea what is happening?"

"Uh, you did a thing and now I'm in your head again?"

"No. Not this time. Well, actually. Kind of. We're in Zygon pods. They're using us for information, so they need us alive." I explained, ignoring the pills on the table. I knew that they wouldn't have a placebo effect if I was awake and if I died, chances are the Zygon did too. "We should be separated, but I am hella awesome, and they put us next to each other. So, I linked my mind to yours as I came semi awake. Understand?"

"Yes. So, how do we help the Doctor and Osgood from in here?"

I shrugged. "First off, we tell him I'm alive. Because we know what people dying around him does, if it was me it would not end well for others. Keep me focused, but don't snap me out of it."

"Why not? What are you doing?"

Something that hurt. "I'm hacking people. Shush." And closed my eyes, pushing back through the connected like I did before, to talk to mum, before I was controlling Zygella, or Bonnie as her name actually was, to use my phone and sent a text. The strain on my heart to connect through these situations was ridiculous, and I could hear Clara wanting to help me, stop me, but she didn't. Good. She snapped me out of this, I could get stuck.

WE ARE AWAKE.

Then I snapped back, breathing hard from the exertion. "GeeK, what did you do?"

"Told dad what he needed to hear. That we're awake and we're watching. I don't know anything about the Osgood boxes, what's going on with them?" I asked, tapping on my leg. I considered learning drums, but then dad would want to start a band and I'd be stuck with him being an old rocker in pubs as well as the TARDIS. "Clara, if you tell me, then I can help and I can be prepared to help you when they come and threaten us."

She just shook her head. "I can't. Galaxy, I really can't because if we can hear them, maybe they can hear us." Fair enough. "How long do you have?"

Oh... Not a clue. Really, really unsure, depended on if I still had the monitor on. "At most, I have about 12 hours. Clara, I think... My heart is going to kill me and when it does-"

"Don't you dare-"

"When it does. Look after him. Please." I begged her, knowing that dad would need someone, and that I was definitely dying. A Time Lord body was supposed to have two hearts, specifically designed for the way it was wired. My human heart could not keep up with my Time Lord genetics. "I couldn't bear knowing that he was alone, Clara..."

"It won't come to that. We'll fix you, Gee, I promise." Clara told me, giving me giant hug on our sofa. "You'll be fine and we can look after your daft old dad together. Agreed?"

Nodding, I sniffed a little as I hugged her, not wanting to cry. No Chick Flick moments, right? "Agreed. Ok. I think... Okay, hang on."

Then switched back to the TV, seeing Zygon Clara walking next to myself, still in my Nyan Cat top. I went to uni, I was allowed. But what they were also doing was speaking to Father. "Hello."

"You're dead."

"Yes, well, I'm dead now, and I think I might be a bit more dead in a minute." Dad informed her. "What's your plan, Zygella and Zylotte."

Zylotte, Clara, didn't look happy. Wonder if my double had my heart problem... "We don't have a plan."

"Come on, you don't invade planets without having kind of plan. That's why they're calledplanets, to remind you toplan it?" Oh, Dad, no... No, just no... "Hey, hey! That's good! Pun-tastic. Doctor Pun-tastic! Oh, come on, that was a good one, Zygella!Gee normally laughs at my puns!" No, I didn't.

"Don't call me Zygella and my sister Zylotte. My name's Bonnie. Her name's Megan."

Only I was back in control and made her wink at my father through the screen. Come on, Daddy... "And you're winking at me."

Megan got angry at that. "My sister is not winking at you. Where is the Osgood box?"

I just winked again, making dad get that we were there. "You do know what winking means? You're sending out some very mixed messages here. Especially given that I'm the father to the girl who's body you're wearing.You know I'm over two thousand years old? I'm old enough to be your Messiah even so."

My Zygon, Bonnie, was getting angry, fighting back. "I am not winking at you. Where is the box?"

"We need some wheels. The van!" Oh, God, please tell me that he wasn't driving Dover to London... That would not end well. "Okay. Non-verbal communication. You're probably in too much pain right now for Morse Code."

He paused to tell Osgood the settings to open the car as Megan got impatient. "Tell us!"

Dad was still thinking. "Okay, we'll have to try something else. Twenty questions. Where's your pods, Love? Is it in a tunnel? Is it in London?"

I tried to agree to both, but Bonnie covered both her eyes. "Thanks very much. Gotcha!" Then got into the van, Osgood next to him. GG, hon, dad could not drive. "Stay where you are, Girls. We're coming to get you, with your meds. And for God's sake, Clara, don't let them into your memories."

Of course that got the Zygons interested. "Memories? What memories? What has she got?"

"Don't tell her where the Osgood box is, and above all, don't tell herwhatit is."

It didn't take long until they were here as I tried to trigger either of us to wake up, my head stammering in my chest before the TV came back on again. Showing us our own faces. "Hello."

"Not today, Satan."

But the channel wouldn't change. "Oh, there's no point turning over." Megan smiled, not the same smile my Clara gave me. "There's nothing better on the other side. We could erase your minds.

Clara raised her eyebrows. "Then why haven't you?" Both closed their eyes. "Having trouble?"

My turn. "Let's see what I can do." And titled my head to the side, triggering that part of their brains that kept them human so they normalised for a moment, before coming back to glare. "See, this thing works two ways, you know.You've got a bit of my mind control, that madness. But you are not the daughter of the Mistress."

"We want those memories!"

Clara just sat back next to me on the sofa to read her newspaper. "Trouble is, you're asking me for them, which means you can't access them, right?My best friend is able to get in my head, do you think she didn't teach me how to protect myself?"

Zylotte, Megan, was really angry now. I had less control over her, but I was trying to keep my will over Bonnie, so the madness didn't get the better of her and she destroyed the world. More than she was trying to, anyway. "We can make you tell me."

We shool our heads. "No, you can't, otherwise you would have done already.You took a wrong turn taking me. I'm clueless about all this, but you put me with Clara. I'll protect her till I run out of regenerations."

"We can kill you."

Sure. I mean, neither of us were afraid to die, but go for it. "Go on, then."

Bonnie glared at me through my own blue eyes. "You think you're calling my bluff."

Clara laughed at that. "Wearecalling your bluff. You need me alive at least, and you know that you'll make the Doctor ten times worse if you kill his daughter."

"You'd better start asking questions before I take over your entire army through your head, Bonnie."

"You'd better not lie."

Now we both laughed. "You see, that's the problem. We are brilliant liars. How are you ever going to know?"

Bonnie stepped back, her hand over her chest as I did the same. Our hearts beat as one... "Oh, Clara. For a moment, I thought you were clever."Megan smiled, putting two fingers to the pulse in her left arm. "Our hearts are linked. Beat for beat. Might not be a good thing for my sister, but me? The one thing you and I can never do is lie to each other." Clara checked her own heartbeat, which I felt stutter as I held her hand."Oh, that scared you, didn't it?Now, listen to me. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to ask you questions and if you don't tell me the exact and complete truth, I will know and wewillkill your precious little Galaxy. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"I will slaughter her in that pod right now. Am I lying to you?"

My best friend glanced at me slightly, before shaking her head. I was dead anyway, Clara... "No."

"Good. Then we'll begin." Zylotte smiled darkly. "Where is the Osgood box?" Clara just stayed silent. "You will answer me, Clara. Truth or consequences, lie and your friend dies. Where is it?"

She answered reluctantly. "UNIT HQ. Under the Tower of London."

"Where specifically?"

"The Black Archive." The one place even mum, dad and I couldn't break into without permission.

Megan knew that as well, Bonnie stood behind, smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Ah, yes. The dark little storage facility for forbidden alien tech, where this all began. Who has access to it?"

Even I knew that. "The Osgoods."

"Only the Osgoods?"

"The Doctor sealed it up after the last time." My best friend explained. "Didn't want UNIT interfering with the ceasefire."

Bonnie stepped forward again. Deflection, a topic that I knew very well so she did also. "Don't avoid the question. Do only the Osgoods have access?"

"The Doctor has access, too."

"Who else?" Then the sisters realised. "Ah. You.Youhave access?" She agreed. "Is it a key? Or a code? No, a pass. A key code? Give it to me now."

Dad use a code or pass? No, he didn't trust anyone as far as he could throw them, it would be keyed to each person directly. "She can't."

"Interesting." Bonnie commented. "You're not lying.You heart has even calmed slightly."

"Because I can sense my mother. If you think my dad is bad, you haven't seen anything yet, dear." I smiled, trying to reach her, tell her to stay away and I'd see her soon. We didn't need the added chaos that was Missy. "And I know my parents."

"But you have access of some kind."

Clara nodded with a smile. "Obviously."

"Give it to me now."

We were enjoying this. "I told you. I can't. YouknowI'm not lying, Ican'tgive you access."

Megan was trying to think of the right question. "Okay, how do you get in there? How, physically, do you get in?"

She shrugged. "It's automatic."

"But how? Tell me!"

Only having Bonnie thinking the way that I did really didn't help. Meant that she could work things out just a few moments after me. "The door is keyed to Clara's body print. So therefore yours as well, sister. And what are we going to find? What's in the Osgood box? Clara?Galaxy?"

Not a clue, this was all down to Clara. "The box ends the ceasefire."

Megan nodded, holding hands with her sister. I missed my brother, Tyler... "So we're told. How?"

"There's a button inside the box."Clara explained calmly. "Press it, it will transmit a signal that will unmask every Zygon on the planet for up to an hour. What's there to smile about?"

Apparently it was exactly what they wanted. "Ah, mass panic followed bywar. Every Zygon on our side at a stroke."

Forget war, that would be slaughter. "Twenty million Zygons against seven billion humans. That's not a war you can win.Your people will know that."

The sisters just shrugged. "Then we will die in the fire, instead of living in chains."

Please get some sense. "Most of your own kind don't want that."

"Then it's time we stopped giving them a choice."

"It's time you asked the most important question." Clara corrected, staring at herself through the screen. "I'm waiting."

It was Bonnie who got it. Probably because ibwas wondering also. "Why's it called an Osgood box?"

"I'm not telling you."

That made Megan smile darkly. This was weird. Clara was the dark psychopath and I was the quiet one. Not that my Clara was quiet, but she was quieter than I was. "Good. I've been looking forward to hearing the great Terror scream."

But my friend knew exactly what she was doing. "I'm not telling you, because when you get to the Black Archive, you'll find out for yourself. And when you do, you're going to want to speak to me again. Am I lying to you?" The heartbeats said no. "See you later." Then she turned off the TV. "Gee?"

"I'm fine. Sorry, messing with them probably halved my time. I have no idea where dad is either and I can't get mum involved or she is going to make heads roll. Literally. She's got a habit of playing bowling with heads."

Clara wrapped her arms around me, stroking my hair softly. "You're going to be fine. Remember, if the Zygon you senses you're that close to death, it could benefit her to fix your heart. You're going to be fine, I promise."

We just stayed like that as Bonnie and Megan went and found out what Clara had meant about needing her. And me, as apparently she was attached to me like I was her, so when we woke up, we were woken up together inside the Black Archive, the sisters on the phone to my father. "Which box normalises the Zygons, Doctor? Tell me, or they die."

"No. This is war" Dad replied as I leaned heavily on Clara. "You pull the trigger, you pay the price."

"Kill his daughter."

Now Zygons were putting their hands near my head. "Dad don't you dare!"

Of course he didn't listen. "The blue one! The blue one! The blue one normalises all your people."

Megan reached out to the blue box, but didn't touch it. "Are you lying? Are you lying to me, Doctor?"

"No, I'm not." He replied. "And when you open up the box, you'll see I'm not lying."

So Bonnie and Megan hit the top of the box. The lid opened to reveal a nicely carved Gallifreyan design with two red buttons, one labelled Truth, the other Consequences. "Doctor?" Bonnie growled, moving to open the red box as well, exactly the same. Nice one, Daddy. "Doctor!"

"Yeah, I know."

"Bring him to us!"

Yeah, like Kate was ever a Zygon. That bitch was far too stubborn to die. So as she killed her escorts, Megan angrily threw my phone into the wall. Well, at least it wasn't the scanner

But about 20 minutes later they turned up anyway, so I just looked at mine and Clara's twins. "It's no good, Bonnie, Megan. You can't win. You kill me, you bring Missy back. Then the whole planet dies."

"We don't care."

"Hi! Hello! Hello!" Two Zygons grabbed Clara and I, so I thumped him in the belly and got free, moving to my father's side. "Oh, hello! Hi. Hi. Stop this. Stop this, please. Let me take both of these boxes away. We'll forgive, we'll forget. And the ceasefire will stand."

"No."

Kate went to the red box. "Doctor, which of these buttons do I press? Doctor, which one? Truth or consequences?"

Bonnie and Megan took up positions at the blue box. "Truth or consequences?"

"This is the moment we've all been waiting for. Make your mindup time!" Now dad went into American Game Show Host mode. It was an ongoing thing, I was trying to condition him to stop. "One of those buttons will destroy the Zygons, release the imbecile's gas. The other one detonates the nuclear warhead under the Black Archive. It'll destroy everyone in London. Bonnie. Bonnie, Megan, sweethearts! One of those buttons will unmask every Zygon in the world. The other one cancels their ability to change form. It'll make them human beings for ever." Then went back to normal. "There are safeguards beyond safeguards. I did this on a very important day for me and this ceasefirewillstand."

"This is wrong."

"No, it's not." I told her, stumbling forward slightly. Getting a surprised look from dad. I normally left this bit to him, but I'd had enough. "Everything here is still able to be fixed"

"Your father is responsible for all the violence."Bonnie snapped, eyes hardening as mine did. "All of the suffering."

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. I was so sick of this. "No, he's not."

"Yes. He engineered this situation, Galaxy Kasterborous. This is his fault."

Please, shut up. "No, it's not. It'syourfault."

Megan spoke now, far meaner than her sister. Something told me that Bonnie was just following her, but my madness wasn't helping her. "We had to do what we've done."

Everyone always said that. "So did he."

"We've been treated like cattle"

This race treated everyone like that. Had you not looked into the slave trade? "So what."

"We've been left to fend for ourselves"

And humans weren't? "So's everyone."

"It's not fair."

"Oh, it's not fair! Oh, I didn't realise that it was not fair! Well, you know what? My heart's failing and I'm stuck between two parents that I love more than anything, but they hate each other."

"The things don't equate."

Oh, but they did. "These things have happened, Zygella, Zylotte. They are facts.You just want cruelty to beget cruelty. You're not superior to people who were cruel to you. you're just a whole bunch of new cruel people. A whole bunch of new cruel people being cruel to some other people, who'll end up being cruel to you. Its one of the ways the Master got started, because his father was cruel to him. The only way anyone can live in peace is if they're prepared to forgive. Why don't you break the cycle?"

They just looked at me. "Why should we?"

Because that was the fair thing to do For the rest of your people. "What is it that you actually want?"

The sisters paused, before Megan spoke. "War."

Sure, yeah. Made sense, right? "Ah. Ah, right. And when this war is over, when you have a homeland free from humans, what do you think it's going to be like? Do you know? Have you thought about it? Have you given it any consideration? Because you're very close to getting what you want. What's it going to be like? Paint me a picture. Are you going to live in houses? Do you want people to go to work? Will there be holidays? Oh! Will there be music? Do you think people will be allowed to play violins? Who's going to make the violins? Well?" This threw them both. "Oh, you don't actually know, do you? Because, like every other tantrumming children in history, Bonnie, Megan, you don't actually know what you want. You think I do? All I want is a simple life with two normal parents and a working set of hearts, but look at me. Making do. So, let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've killed all the bad guys, and when it's all perfect and just and fair, when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do with the people like you and me? The troublemakers. How are you going to protect your glorious revolution from the next one?"

Both the sisters were adamant. "We'll win."

Ha. You could do everything right, but you could still lose. That was just life. "Oh, will you? Well, maybe, maybe youwillwin! But nobody wins for long. The wheel just keeps turning. So, come on. Break the cycle."

"Why are you still talking?"

If I stopped, then this would be all over because I would just happily kill you both and call it a day. The Terror just doing what she always did. "Because I want to get you to see, and I'm almost there!"

"Do you know what I see, Gee?" Bonnie asked, her eyes exactly the same as mine. Calm and determined, even through the pain in our hearts. "A box. A box with everything we need. A fifty percent chance."

Now the humans stepped up together plate. "For us, too."

Both Sides had their hands poised over the buttons. "And we're off! Fingers on buzzers! Are you feeling lucky? Are you ready to play the game? Who's going to be quickest? Who's going to be luckiest"

"This is not a game!"

For fucks sake, that was the bloody point, you bitch! "No, it's not a game, and I mean that most sincerely"

Megan didn't understand. "Why are you doing this?"

"Yes, I'd quite like to know that, too. Your dad set this up. Why?"

We both lived through this. Through everything that happened to our home and our family. He was trying to save you the pain of losing everyone too. "Because it's not a game, Kate. This is a scale model of war. Every war ever fought, right there in front of you. Because it's always the same. When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know whose children are going to scream and burn! How many hearts will be broken! How many lives shattered! How much blood will spill until everybody does until what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning. Sit down and talk!" Now I stopped, breathing hard and struggling. "Listen to me. Dad did this when he thought that both me and my brother were dead. Listen, I just, I just want you to think. Do you know what thinking is? It's just a fancy word for changing your mind."

"We will not change our mind."

"Then you will die stupid" I replied sadly. "Alternatively, you could step away from that box, you can walk right out of that door and you could stand your revolution down."

Bonnie didn't speak, but Megan did. Megan was far harder to convince. "No! I'm not stopping this, Terror. We started it. We will not stop it. You think they'll let us go, after what we've done?"

I wished that I was their age... How simple it was to change their paths. Mine had already been set, thanks to mum. "You're all the same, you screaming kids. You know that?Look at me, I'm unforgivable. Well, here's the unforeseeable. I forgive you. After all you've done, I forgive you.Because I understand your choices, I just know there is a better way."

"You don't understand" she insisted.

"You will never understand."

That was a laugh and a half."Idon't understand? Are you kidding? Me? Of course I understand. I mean, do you call this a war? This funny little thing? This is not a war! I was a child, innocent and in pain, in a bigger war than you will ever know. I was the Gallifreyan Banksy before my father, my biological father, found me. With him, I did worse things than you could ever imagine. And when I close my eyesI hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count, while I was just laughing at the person he was torturing! And do you know what you do with all that pain? Pain that I helped to inflict? Shall I tell you where you put it? You hold it tighttill it burns your hand, and you say this. No one else will ever have to live like this. No one else will have to feel this pain. Not on my watch!I was born of darkness, capable of it more than Missy, but I was raised by good. Every day, every hour, minute and second, I make the conscious decision to be good. I'm fighting a losing battle, but I still try." Kate closed the lid of the red box and stepped back. "Thank you. Thank you"

"I'm sorry."

"I know. I know. Thank you." Now looked at the sisters, Bonnie and Megan. "Well?"

Another long, long pause came about as my heart thumbs through my skin. "It's empty, isn't it?" Bonnie asked. "Both boxes. There's nothing in them. Just buttons."

I know my Father, he would never let people chance killing each other if his speech didn't work. "Of course. And do you know how you know that? Because you've started to think like us." They moved their hands away from the buttons. "It's hell, isn't it? No one should have to think like that. And no one will. Not on our watch" And smiled as our eyes met. "Gotcha"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you have a disadvantage, Zygella and Zylotte. I know those faces."

Kate now brought the attention back to her. 'This is all very well, but we know the boxes are empty now. We can't forget that."

This was dad's area. "No, well, er, you've said that the last fifteen times."

Then sonicked the memory filter in the ceiling, knocking out almost everyone. Osgood lent an unconscious Kate against a rack of stuff, the Zygon sisters closing the blue box.

"You didn't wipe our memories."

"No. Just Kate's. Oh, and your little friend's here, of course" He agreed, indicating the Zygons. "When they wake up, they won't remember what you've done. It'll be our secret."

"You're going to protect us?"

Osgood nodded with a smile. "You're one of us now, whether you like it, or not."

Bonnie was really thinking like me. "I don't understand how you could just forgive us."

Dad shrugged, not even looking in my direction. Now he knew. Now he knew that I had been lying to

him for months. "Because I've been where you have. There was another box. I was going to press another button. I was going to wipe out all of my own kind, man, woman and child. My child. I was so sure I was right."

"What happened?"

"The same thing that happened to you and Miss Masters." No, I was Pratchett... I was his daughter... "I let Clara Oswald get inside my head. Trust me. She doesn't leave."

Then he did the same thing mum did. Walked away as I needed him, so Clara had to get me back to the TARDIS for my meds as Bonnie and Megan defused their war. Before Osgood came to say goodbye, dad nowhere to be found. "The TARDIS."

My home. "The TARDIS."

"What does it stand for?"

Call yourself dad's number one fan. "What? You're kidding me? Surely you know that?"

She shrugged. "Well, I've heard a couple of different versions"

Let's bullshit. "Dad made it up from the initials. It stands forTotally And Radically Driving In Space. Do you want to come? All of the future, all of history, and all of the universe?Dad could use you. You're the daughter he actually deserves."

"More than anything. But I think I have to stay. I've got a couple of boxes to keep an eye on. And a world to keep safe" She took my hand gently, which was still trembling. "Whatever is happening, Gee, it'll be fine. Your dad loves you, you know that."

Not this time. I outright lied to him, I'd never that before. "Fair enough. Clara, would you mind er. I'll see you in the TARDIS, okay?"

"Er, yeah, sure." So she went and hugged Osgood. "Take care, you"

"You take care of them. Don't let them die or anything."

She made a mock annoyed face. "What if he'sreallyannoying and she uses my shampoo again?"

Osgood laughed at that. "Then fine."

"Got ya."

Then went into the TARDIS, leaving me with the incredible woman. "I need to know. Which one are you?"

Of course she didn't answer. "I'm Osgood."

"Human or Zygon?"

She just kept smiling. "I'll answer that question one day. Do you know when day that will be?"

"The day nobody cares about the answer." A second Osgood in a classic Doctor duffel coat stepped out from behind Osgood, where we know there was no one before. "Gotcha!"

"Oh, look at her face."

"It's almost not fair."

I never saw two of them in one, they thought exactly the same way, I could... I couldn't get in either of their heads. "But I don't, I don't. How, how?"

The first one rolled her eyes. "Oh, think it through, Galaxy."

"Well, it wouldn't be right, would it"

"To carry on using Clara's face-"

"When there's a vacancy."

"Megan?Wait, so there's still another me out there?"

"Osgood!Bonnie needed to take things down. Your head... She needed to try and get you out, your Pain."

It doesn't matter which of us is which.

"All that matters is that Osgood lives."

"And nothing's going to stop us!"

Oh, she was incredible. dad deserved her far more than me. "You're a credit to your species, Petronella Osgood"

"No, Galaxy Kasterborous."

"We're a credit to both of them."

Exactly. But me? I was a hybrid. My time was coming. "Oh, and you should know. I'm a very big fan."

Then I just went into the TARDIS, shutting the door after me, finding the room empty. I managed to get us going off, the TARDIS in motion before I just broke down in tears.

Dad was never going to forgive me...


	25. Chapter TwentyFive

The Doctor

She lied.

After everything we had been through together, how open and honest I had been with her, Galaxy had just spent months lying to my face about this. About the fact that she remembered, that she had done since Skaro.

When I got back into the TARDIS, I just went down to the engine rooms, not wanting to face her just yet. I missed getting to say goodbye to Osgood, but I'd see them again. Her and Megan, while Bonnie tried to take charge. Someone needed to lead the Zygons now Jemima and Claudette were gone.

"Knock knock." I looked up to see Clara stood at the door. Galaxy Kaster's best friend. "She's asleep. I found her passed out in the console room." I made a soft noise, not thinking about it. "Doctor, Galaxy had been crying."

"Probably hormones from her meds." I replied, turning back to look at my work, soldering cables together. "She doesn't cry. You know that."

She shook her head. "That's a total lie. Even after she remembered. Georgia cried. When you scared her, she was inconsolable. When she found out Missy was her mum, and realised that she was literally the daughter of the devil. When she thought that I would hate her for that, because Danny was dead due to her mum. She was crying because she thinks you hate her."

"You heard her Clara. Heard everything that she said in the Archive. If she wasn't ashamed of herself, of things that she did while travelling with her father." I snapped, throwing down the tool to look at her. "Clara, if she wanted to tell me, if she really did, I would understand. The allure of Missy and the Master, I have been there. But the fact that she didn't tell me? No. That's what I can't forgive."

Clara now got angry. She was very quick tempered was Miss Oswald, but luckily I was a seasoned veteran of her shouting. "Oh, like you tell her everything? You knew! You knew that Missy was her biological parent for the entire time, but you never said. Maybe she though that you don't want her because she is tilting on the scales. She admitted that to me, that at times she feels closer to the dark than the light. But you aren't light, Doctor. You can't lie to me, you know full well that I have been in your time stream and I have met previous versions of you. There were times when you did far worse than she did, when you forgot yourself."

The Doctor of War... The first time that I thought I might be the Hybrid. "That was different and you know it. She laughed while the Master tortured people, does that sound like me? To laugh while someone was in pain? Pain that I inflicted? For the last year I have been trying to save her soul, but it turns out they already blackened it."

"No. No, because she said that she never killed. She even managed to stop death some times, save people like she knew that you would have wanted." Clara shouted at me, eyes giant in rage. Unfortunately, she looked about as scary as an angry Spaniel with her glossy hair. "If you think for a minute that she hasn't spent the last however many years fighting her darkness you have another thing coming. That is your daughter, maybe not by blood, but Galaxy Kaster is your daughter through love and experience. You did far more for her than Missy or the Master ever did, because he gave her up. You stuck with her through all of the heart attacks, all of the night terrors and all the times that you thought that she wasn't going to make it..."

There was a shaky pause then, the anger dissipating in Clara to fear and sadness. She was trying not to cry herself. "Doctor, she thinks that she's going to die. That this is her last chance and she asked me to look after you. She was so scared that you were going to be alone and wanted me to stay with you. Does that sound like Missy? Would Missy care enough to want you to stop being alone by asking for help?"

Maybe. Depended on what she wanted out of the bargain. "Are you forgetting that Missy was the one who introduced us in the first place, Clara? Galaxy might have said that, but who knows what her mother was saying in her head."

"That she should come clean. You really think that Missy wants her daughter in constant turmoil internally?" I got asked next as I sat down on my tool box, long legs up around my chin, like a spider in a glass too small. "Even Missy wanted her to tell you. Provably thought that you'd be won over to her side, sure, but GeeK was so worried that you were hate her. Don't you dare make me a liar for all of those times that I told her that you would understand and love her unconditionally."

Oh, Clara... "She was right."

"Don't you dare say that!"

"Clara, she is dying! Do you know for how long I have been watching her die?" I asked her, getting back my feet and walking towards her. "If I don't find a way to give her two Time Lord Hearts instead of her own damaged human one, then she has only months left. It hurts, losing a child. I've already lost her and Tyler once, I've only just got her back again. Do you really think I want to just sit here and watch my daughter, my precious universe, die? Because that's what I've been doing for a very long time and she doesn't even have the decency to tell me the truth, Clara. I told her the truth, no matter the consequences."

Now she was crying, teats rolling down her face. "Don't say that. Please, please, stop talking like you don't care if she lives or if she dies, because even if you've by some mystery managed to stop loving her, I haven't, Doctor. She is like my little and big sister all in one. You will find a way to save her and you will talk to her, or you'll never see either of us again once I ask Missy for help instead."

There was a long moment of silence between us, hanging so thick that even Galaxy Kaster's arm blades couldn't cut it. My precious Universe... There was no way that I could ever stop loving her. "I have been trying to save her for 1000 years, there is no way to manage it without having two new and viable hearts for her. Time Lord Hearts. Without cutting them out of myself or Missy, which I would willing do for her if there was no other option, I really don't know what I can do."

At which point the lights in the TARDIS turned off, only a line of them turning back on in a way to guide us somewhere. "What's she doing? Doctor?"

"I don't-" Then saw where the line was headed, my own two Time Lord Hearts thumping in my chest as I started sprinting down the corridor towards it. "Clara, stay away!"

"Like hell am I doing that!" She yelled back, following after as I burst into Galaxy's room, all monitors flatlining with a single toned beep. "Oh, my Stars. No! No, Galaxy, please!"

"Shut up and get me the syringe of epinephrine and the manual defibrillators." Clara was still only standing there, her fight or flight instinct having not kicked in just yet. "Hey! You wanted me to do something, well right now I am trying to bring her back to life! Every second we waste is another second where she could go brain dead. Clara, you need to do this!"

The girl closed her eyes for a brief moment before doing as I told while I cut up the front of GeeK's top, the bra also so I could see where the machines had failed. There was a build up of scar tissure where her skin had been shocked over and over again and it was now too thick to let the charge reach her heart. "You work on her heart, I'll get her breathing. Doctor?"

"Go. Do it." I told her, throwing her the mask, charging up the large defibrillators, needing to get her back and fast or we'd lose her. We had no idea if she had any regenerations left, it had been a surprise that she had any in the first place. "Come on, Galaxy Kasterborous, you are not bowing out yet, you haven't done the dishes!"

Then zapped her, Clara stepping back for a moment so that we could wait for what felt like millennia to see if her heart started beating again. Nothing. "Ok going again. 300 this time. Clear!" And again, her entire body jumping with the electrical charge going through her before flopping back onto the bed. Stiff as the mattress below her. "No, no, no. Not now, you do not get to leave me like this! Galaxy!"

I shocked her another three time with no difference, but started to just silently cry on the inside as I stepped back. "Doctor, what are you doing?! Shock her again, she is not gone!"

"She's been without oxygen to her brain for 10 minutes, Clara!"

"And?! She was fucking playing Abzu last, where you dont have to breathe, she could still be in there!" She snapped as I tried desperately to think of a way to save her. "Save her!"

"Pass me that scalpel."

Now she stared. "Doctor, you put her on blood thinners."

Well remembered. "The charge isn't working through the scar tissue. I'll have to cut through it and see if her heart will respond then. I know it's a risk, especially with how close to her heart this is, but you are going to help there. My blood type doesn't match hers."

"But Missy does. You need to get Missy to do a transfusion. Will she come?"

"Missy loves her just as much as I do. The moment I start cutting away the tissue, you need to run to the console, the TARDIS should have already found her by now so just start her going and tell her what has happened. She deserves to be here either to save her, or to say goodbye."

Clara shook her head. "No, you're both going to save her. You've both tried alone, it's time to work together."

And set off at a run as I cleaned down the area and put on some gloves. "Come on, love. You are not leaving me yet." Then started to gently cut off the scar tissue built up over her heart, rock solid from her burns before placing gauze over the top. It was still bleeding slightly, her blood warm and thin, so it came through right away before charging up the defibrillators one last time. "Please. You can't die thinking I hate you..."

Then shocked her, the blood flowing faster for a moment as I heard my own two hearts thudding in my chest as I started at the still flatlined monitor. Nothing.

"Please, please, Galaxy I'm sorry, I am so sorry. I should have been faster, I should have found a way to fix you sooner, gotten hearts when you were still just a baby..." I told her, not letting tears fall as I looked at the motionless form that once held my little girl. "This is all my fault..."

"Doctor, where is-" Missy cut out as she saw Gee on the bed, shakily putting her hand over her mouth, stifling a sob. She might have been the craziest bitch in the universe, but there was no doubt that she loved our daughter. "No. No. No, no, No!"

Clara ran in a moment later, a smile on her face as she expected her friend, her sister, to be just bleeding now, but alive. Only to just break as well. "Oh, Stars, Gee... I, is she...?"

But just as I nodded, she shot up in the bed, eyes bright and furious as she grabbed my arm painfully right. "Make it stop. It hurts, why the fuck am I bleeding and where the fuck is my bra?!" She demanded, falling back with how weak she was, but there was a definite, if erratic, heartbeat. "Mummy..."

Missy ran to her side as I started pushing high amounts of vitamin K into her system, trying to rapidly thicken her blood. "I'm here. Hey, Puppy Dog, don't just stand there like a waste of space, get the transfusion kit! She's lost a lot of blood and once you've done that, you keep pressure on the wound. Her father is going to need to help me."

"Her is still conscious you idiots." Gee muttered, her eyes half closed as she started to keep herself calmer. "Ok, ok, ok, just do whatever it is you're doing. My heart is level, I just need blood..."

I nodded and started to set them both up for the transfusion, lying Missy down on a higher bed to have the gravity assistance, before putting the needles into both of them, Gee not flinching like she used to. This was a regular occurrence for her these days, ever since her first heart attack when she was 9. "Ok, and here's the flow. Missy-"

She rolled her eyes, already clenching and unclenching her fist. "This is not my first rodeo, pal. Remember there was a big long time when it was just myself and Galaxy Kasterborous, she needed a transfusion when she impaled herself on a bloody broken carousel horse."

To which GeeK laughed. "Oh, that was not my fault, that was the stupid Sea Devil chasing me! You were the one who grew a beard solely because people didn't believe you were the Master without it."

"You grew another beard? Really?" I asked in bemusement, sitting between them after looking at the wound, nodding to let Clara know she could stop now because the gauze had sealed the wound. Luckily, it was dissolving gauze, made of the same stuff as the stitches so it would disappear as she healed. "What is it with you trying to look like the Devil?"

"Wait, you had a beard? You were a man?"

"Do keep up, Puppy Dog. You surely know that Time Lord's can change gender?" She asked with her another eyeroll. She was very sassy this evening. "Until this regeneration, I was mostly a man with dark hair and a dark beard. I was once a man without a beard who regenerated into your previous Prime Minister, Harold Saxon, and I grew a beard after a while because I was blonde and no one believed I was who I said I was."

To which Clara just started to laugh as I watched my daughter actually get stronger. Oh, God, I almost lost her... I was so close to having to bury her like I buried Tyler and Susan and Libby. My hearts couldn't take burying Galaxy as well, not for a second time.

"Oh, my god. Imagine if you suddenly became a woman, Doctor. Maybe then you'd believe us when you get told that the TARDIS is freezing." Clara laughed, GeeK going under again, but she was stronger at least. "Hey, Is she-"

"She is fine. Leave her to sleep." Missy replied sternly, before detaching herself from the transfusion kit, weak and woozy from blood loss. "If you'll excuse me, I have a Dalek empire to lead, and you have a painful conversation to gave with our daughter."

I grabbed her before she could topple over, very weak now she was upright. "As much as I hate the idea, you need to stay here, at least for the night. For starters, we might need you again, and second, you're going to keel over if you take another step."

She glared at me, but she knew I was right. GeeK was in need of her mother around anyway, especially if she was the one who knew exactly what had taken place in her life. "Fine. But keep the noise down, I'm a wee bit tired. You two have a banging row, then wait till I'm unconscious."

And lay back down, promptly falling asleep on the second bed as Clara made her best friend more comfortable on the first. "Well, that keeps her quiet for a while. So, what did you want to do now? Because the genie is well and truly out of the bottle now, about everything, Doctor. She knows exactly what happened and you know everything that she did when she was with her father before he became Missy. Your daughter adores you, she does everything that she does to make sure that she is someone you can be proud of, to be the daughter you raised her to be."

I felt numb, the idea that I came so close to losing her while she thought that I hated her, hated everything she was because of what she did oh so long ago. That tiny baby that I had thrust at me by a man who just looked scared, and for the first time in half a millennia, sane. The Master had been desperate for me to take in that little half human baby girl in a fit of sanity, so long as Libby and I never left her side, gave her a loving family and cared for her for however long her inadequate human heart supported her Time Lord body.

Then only 14 years later, when war broke out and the world shook with the sobs of a once mighty nation as it crumbled, Libby left her in death and I, thinking that there was no one left for me, tried to destroy the planet and people alike. Oh, oh, was I glad that I hadn't after her graffiti stopped, marking the walls one last time in her honour. No More.

But here she was. Galaxy Kaster Vivienne Minerva Pratchett-Masters, daughter of the man who was seen as a Saint and the woman who wanted nothing more than to go to hell as a Queen from Sin. She was alive, and she was going to stay that way, even if I had to rip out the hearts from my own chest to let her live in my stead.

"She goes on being my daughter. If she wishes to tell me, then so be it. I will listen to her, giving her my full attention and then not passing judgement as she finished the tale. If she doesn't, then what I do not know cannot hurt me." I replied to Clara softly, taking the only chair in the room, at the art desk, to the side of her bed to watch over both the Master's women in my life. Missy was not staying, no matter how much she was going to try to. "Goodnight, Clara. I'll call for you if something happens, but for now, I'd get some sleep. You've not been looking at your best recently."

That made her pause slightly, eyes looking shifty but she was trying to hide it. Please, not another one of them keeping secrets, I hated being kept in the dark, especially when chances were, I could help. "Since when do you noticed when I look my best. Goodnight." Clara paused to kiss my cheek, cast a worrying look at Galaxy Kaster, a nervous one to Missy, before leaving.

"Right, budge up, Dumpling, come on." I told me daughter once the door clicked shut. "You're not asleep, I learned how to tell the difference when you were 7 and you are still not good at it."

"Dammit." My daughter smiled sleepily, chest stiff as she had a lot of gauze and padding over it, and where the live transfusion had gone on from her mother. "I thought my breathing had gotten better."

I rolled my eyes as I lay in the bed next to her, cuddling her close as I used to do on the nights she had nightmares. So many bad dreams in the head of a little girl who had never even seen the true face of the world. Well, we'd done all that we could to keep her from it. "That's the thing, you breathe irregularly, Gee. When you're pretending, you breathe perfectly. Oh, you terrified us all tonight. I haven't seen her cry since he gave you up."

She hid her face under blonde hair that had been dipped blue, though it had now faded to a more icy blue than anything. "I'm so sorry, daddy... After everything that happened, I, I... I almost died without being able to explain myself, why I didn't want to tell you-"

"This isn't your fault. You almost died thinking that I hated you. Love, I could never hate you, you're my daughter and I have loved you since the moment I saw those big silver eyes and white blonde hair." I told her, brushing her platinum hair aside to look into her now deep blue eyes. "I understand, I do, it's my fault for the way that I acted about the whole thing, making you think that it was a bad thing to know that the Master, Missy, does love you. I was more ashamed of myself for leaving you, juts a baby, in the middle of a war zone when I should have hidden you away on Earth. How did you survive?"

GeeK sniffed, holding back tears. "I hid in the tower, my Sanctuary. But, but it fell, and I couldn't get myself or Dagda out in time. Rescuers found us though, but I was scared of them, scared of people in general having only met you, mum, Tyler and Susie. So, I ran. Dagda died not long after, he was an old cat so I'd been expecting it, but it made me feel so, so alone... That was the day before, the day before you moved us all. The next day... He found me."

"The Master?"

"Yeah. Only, he told me to call him Des, like you said he used to be called. He took care of me, I was only 16 and I'd never really had to do anything by myself, because of my heart and the machines. Dad, Des, he taught me how to look after myself, until, until..."

Her silence was accompanied by a tiny, almost inaudible sob that made me hold her as tight as I could without hurting her, or breaking open the scab she had on her chest again. Galaxy Kasterborous' blood was still too thin to survive another attack like that. "Until he told you the truth, that he was your biological father and I'd adopted you. That was where the dream linked in, wasn't it? The one you had as Georgia, the whole reason he couldn't keep you with him and I found you in the hospital."

"I took the poison but it wasn't the Adder..." She sobbed, quietly though, as not to wake her sleeping mother beside us. "I took Linksys, the chemical that others used to try and stop regeneration's. Only... He knew how to reverse it,and all it did was wake up the memories of the year I was Galaxy Kasterborous Solace Serenity Vivienne Minerva. When I was only his daughter and already showed great promise with hypnosis."

Of course he was going to try and take advantage of that, even though he adored his daughter and worshipped the ground that she walked on. "Baby, how long did you spend with him? How old were you when you died to the Adder?"

"100 years. He taught me his way of life, how happy he was to kill people. But I didn't. I promise, that I never killed anyone, at least not that I remember." My daughter told me, looking so scared as to what I was going to think, going to say about what she may have done while living for 100 years with her biological father. "Dad, I'm sorry, I just... I didn't want you to see me differently, to think that I just threw away all that you raised me to be just because it was the easy option. I know that being good isn't easy, its not supposed to be, because anything worth doing is hard and a challenge, but I... I forgot that for a while. I swear, I would never kill anyone."

"I believe you, Love. I swear to you, on Libby, Tyler and Susan's lives, that I will never see you as anything more than you are right now." I told her softly, kissing her head as I hugged her. "My daughter, whether you want to be or not. When I'm an embarrassing old man, the protective father or the angry Doctor, fighting the good fight, I am your father, Galaxy."

Her arms tightened around me, just like when she was 7 years old, silvery skinned, dark silver eyes and silvery blonde hair, happy to see me after I went away for the week. I looked forward to coming home for those hugs, they made the planet I kept running away from bearable. "I love you, daddy..."

Oh, Gee... "I love you too, Baby Girl."

Which was when a pillow hit us both and a groan from the other bed. "I hates the both o' ya! Lemme get some sleep, man!"

Ah, Missy, Missy, Missy. Please tell me that one day you were going to change, to be the mother our daughter deserved.


	26. Chapter TwentySix

Galaxy:

(I personally hate Sleep No More, so I am skipping to Face the Raven, even though I loved Clara to pieces. But, hey ho, I hope you all enjoy it, and are having a good day. Thanks, Butterflies, Izzi xxx -)

What the hell was Clara playing at?! She ran through the TARDIS door, followed by dad, then lastly myself, the only one not out of breath. I wasn't allowed to run, but I was the sensible one who closed the doors on the bright yellow death light outside. "I told you it'd work!"

"It very nearly ate you for dinner."

My best friend rolled her eyes at me as I folded my arms, not happy with the way she had been acting. Oh, and the fact that she was regularly disappearing off on Tuesday mornings somewhere and wouldn't tell me why, but I knew it had nothing to do with a boy. Or girl, as she had a fuck buddy relationship with Jane Austen. "Oh, admit it. I totally saved your life."

Dad shook his head, on my side. Closer than ever after I told him, though Mum wasn't talking to either of us when we left her in Greenland as a joke. She was wearing slippers. "It wasn't going to eat her."

Apparently this was what made it funny though. I myself, failed to see why. "I totally saved Galaxy Kasterborous from having to marry that giant sentient plant thing. That bit when I jumped over the side? That was amazing."Then dad snorted, a grin coming out. "Ha! I knew you were impressed."

"The second most beautiful garden in all of time and space, and we can never come back here. I concede that we can't go to the first because of myself and the fact that I am the daughter of the Master, but this? This was because you Miss Oswald, decided-"

Then the TARDIS console phone started to ring, the three of us staring at it for a moment before dad gestured to my best friend. It was only her and mum had that, so it was probably mum getting back at us for leaving her in the cold. In my defence, I'd just had heart surgery for the 9th time in my life. "Hello?" Pause. "Oh. Rigsy. Hey. What's wrong?." Another pause, slightly longer. Graffiti kid, this was interesting. Last he saw me, I was a tiny Amnesiac Pixie called Georgia. "Seriously? I gave you this number for emergencies."

My father, having also had a moment to go through his list of names to faces in all of time and space, glared at her. "Who said you could give out my number?"

"Look, look, no matter how bad it is, we cannot take you back down your timeline just to fix a tattoo. Talk to Gee, she's a trained tattoo artist so she can cover it over." Really? I would make him pay, you know. The ink was not cheap. "Sorry, what?" Her eyes had started to do the thing. I loved the thing, while dad did not. "Hang tight. We'll be right there."

Which meant my art time was now being swapped to go and sort out a stupid idiot who got wasted and had a tattoo done. Also, there was one of those things, you know, the thing we we all were once but many of us blocked it all out? Yeah, lying in a crib, and causing dad, in a soft red velvety jacket that I'd made in textiles, to become infatuated with her. Mum got a sort of tweedy purple dress in her style. Well, she'd get it the next time I saw her, anyway. "Did you make this human?"

"Lucy?" The drunken idiot smiled, nodding at the thing in the cot. "Yeah, she's mine."

"Oh. Hello." Clara was now also very interested. Really? What was the obsession with small things? Things that were small were more likely to kill you, just look at spiders! Not that I was scared of spiders, more scared of being alone. "Oh, Rigsy, she's gorgeous."

Of course dad loved babies, so he was obsessed. He took me in as a baby, after all. "She's better than that. She's brilliant. Not as brilliant as my two as babies, but all dads say that." You got me a year old and potty trained, father. "What are you doing running round getting tattoos when there's-"

My best friend shushed him from being too loud, confusing me. "Why be quiet? She's already freaking awake, Clara!" Then looked at Rigsy. "Tattoo, why, and if its Princess Leia wearing the slave bikini on a D20, don't be ashamed, rock it."

"Look, I didn't get anything." He insisted. "I woke up this morning and it was just there. Jen noticed it." Who was Jen?

"Okay, show me this tattoo that you didn't get, then." He pulled down the back of his jumper collar. "It's a tattoo. It's very boring. Gee is trying to allow me to let her tattoo herself with the words; It's funnier in Gallifreyan, in Enochian for some reason." Well, there was a very good reason for that, but it was a reference you just wouldn't get.

"No, wait. Just, just keep watching."'

Clara looked at him as we kept watching. "What were you doing last night?"

The kid was lost as I tapped on my leg, counting my heartbeat. Sets of four with one heart just wasn't enough, I was going to be dead soon enough. I didn't want to leave mum and dad alone, not when they hated each other like they did. "That's just it. Yesterday was a total blank. Jen said that I left the house before dawn, I missed work, and I didn't get back till after midnight. No one saw me all day."

Dad was distracted by the baby book, comparing it to photos of me and Tyler he for some reason he had in his pocket, so I was the one who saw the tattoo change from 533 to 532. "Holy Butts. Dad, dad, dad, dad, look. Not a baby, but also not boring. Very not boring, so please put the baby photos away before... OK, too late, never mind, Clara has them, thanks. Screw you."

Still not listening to me, he put on the stupid sonic sunglasses and looked at the tattoo himself. Clara was lost, but me? Oh, please, please tell me I wasn't right because chances were, this could be all my fault. I set it free last time, whoever had it now had it because of that. "What? What is it?"

"Okay, Local Knowledge, you're coming with us. Bring the new human."

"Dad, please see sense. You took me with you once when I was two, and all you were doing was playing with me instead of fighting the Sea Devils." I sighed, rubbing my temples. Did not like small humans, even though I partly was one myself. "You're just going to get distracted." So in we went minus the infant devil thingie, so I could use my scanner to have a look at Rigsy properly. "If you want your extremities to stay attached, stand absolutely still My mother made this and my mother is nothing if not cruel to those beyond myself. If not, we can provide a small bag, you can take them home at the end."

"Rigsy, your phone." Clara called over from the console, where she was doing her thing. "It's like they've wiped it, but only the last day. No location data, no texts, nothing. You're sure the screen wasn't cracked before yesterday?"

He agreed, trying very hard not to move as I finished up, the golden line disappearing. "Oh. Right, okay, here we go. Ah Good. Weird. Good and weird." 526, and he wanted to start moving again, so I threw him a bone. "Yeah, sure, whatever. First off. In the last twenty four hours, you have had significant contact with alien lifeforms, right here in the centre of London. More than dad and I."

We'd already lost the human. Bless. "Okay, so why don't I remember anything?"

Dad took that one. "You've been retconned." Everyone was now confused. Lovely. "Amnesia drug. Your pre-frontal cortex is marinating in it. Ooo, there's something else. Something. Er, not good. Weird."

Which was when I lost the ability to words and had to use dads cue cards. This was my fault! I never wanted it, or wanted to let it go, it was mum, dad, whatever they were at the time. "What's she doing?"

"She's making an effort to be nice. Galaxy, you have a Masters in creative writing, why are you struggling to be nice?"

"There is no nice way to say you're about to die." Everyone was gaping at me, even Father. "Rigsy-"

Which was when the human started to get hysterical. "No, no, no, no, no. Don't start using my actual name now. Call me Pudding Brain, call me Local Knowledge, call me Graffiti Kid. Whatever. Just don't call me Rigsy. You're going to save me. You're a doctor and you're a freaking genius. That's what you do."'

I was still lost for words as dad turned away, thought about it, and then turned back. "Okay. Okay. Yes, okay, let's do this thing. First up, stop the countdown. Five hundred and twenty six minutes. Right. Okay. Yes, you know what, Local Knowledge, I don't know who did this to you or why. But I do almost certainly know how to find them." And took us to the British Library. The Library of Alexandria was far superior, though this one did have Amber Benson and Terry Pratchett. "There have always been rumours, stories passed from traveller to traveller. Mutterings about hidden streets. Secret pockets of alien life right here on Earth. Like a smuggler's cove, only not a cove, because it's right here, right in the middle of the capital."

Graffiti kid was lost again as I started to sketch while walking, remembering the creature that had been apart of me once upon a time. It was just the one, the only one of it's kind that had ever existed, but because it had the ability to time travel, people thought there were more. Byrne was unique and deadly. Mother had thought it was a match made in heaven. "The hidden places are in the Great British Library?"

"No." I replied firmly, already knowing what dad was planning. "The maps are."

We got to work unrolling lots of old maps of central London, one projected onto a screen on the wall behind us. "I never put stock in it. London streets that suddenly disappeared from human view? No. You lot are always overlooking things, but whole streets? That would be excessive, even for you. If the stories are true, though, there should be a street on one of these old maps that no longer exists in the real world."

"Like a trap street, only not." All eyes on Clara. "A trap street. You know, when someone's making a map, a, er cartographer, uses a fake street, throws it into the mix, names it after one of his kids or whatever. Then if the fake street, the trap street, ever shows up on someone else's map, they know their work's been stolen. Clever, right?"

Not exactly, bestie. We needed to talk about your knowledge of your own planets history. Half of it wasn't even from this planet. "My God. A whole London street just up and disappeared and you lot assume it's a copyright infringement."

"So we're looking for a trap street?"

"We're looking for a trap street and we're not going to find it here." Then back to the TARDIS, having already taken copies of all the maps that we needed. Copyright, I think not, not when we were there when the maps were made in the first place. "The glasses are tracking your eye movements. Just keep looking straight down and-"

Clara was lying down looking out of the open TARDIS doorway, wearing the sonic sunglasses. He hadn't left them unattended since the last time I tried to throw them into a supernova. "I know! Focus on the buildings directly below me."

"Whatever they're using, it only hides the street itself. It prevents you from noticing there's even something missing." I explained to Graffiti Kid, doing my own coursework with oil pastels. Drawing mum, the way she was when she embraced her darkness. "They're somehow making our eyes skate right over it. Let's call it a misdirection circuit."

The TARDIS jolted and Clara slid half way out of the door, my instincts from playing Oblivion, to latch a rope onto her foot and barely catch her before the rest of her followed. "YOU CRAZY BITCH I TOLD YOU TO ATTACH YOURSELF!"

She was too busy laughing. "Hello, London! Think you can lower me further?"

In reply, I yanked her back with a growl of frustration, Rigsy just staring at her in alarm. "She enjoyed that way too much."

This was something that had been worrying me for a while. There was a lot that was worrying me to be honest. "Tell me about it. It's an ongoing problem, especially when you live with her and you're supposed to be the crazy one."

"Here." Dad put Rigsy's hands on the controls. "Keep it steady. Just move it slowly over the grid. When we're done, we'll have a map of the areas of the grid that Clara couldn't focus on."

We headed back out into London after that, looking at the bit of paper that the TARDIS, mother number 3, had given us. Apparently I had a step mum after dad remarried, hadn't met her yet, but good luck to her having a stepdaughter like myself. "So, these are the bits my eyes skated over."

"Okay, we split up. Clara, that way." Off she popped. "Local Knowledge."' He went another way. "Dumpling, you're with me." I raised my eyebrows. "What? It's what I used to call you when you were little."

"Yeah, when I was about 2ft 2 and the centre of gravity was my ass because I kept falling backwards onto it. Dumpling is not a particularly nice nickname for someone in their hundred-teens." I informed him, now feeling that maybe my arse was now a little bit on the large side since being banned from physical exertion. I'd always wanted to the whole gyming it thing. Squats, weights, stretches. I'd never even been allowed to learn to swim, both mum and dad hated the idea of me risking my heart, but risking my life in other ways? Nah, sure, lets let her go up against Blitzers and Cybermen and bloody Fisher Kings that sounded like Slipknot on a bad day. "Please do not call me it. Are you counting?"

"Of course."

"What number are we on?"

"43."

He wasn't counting then. "Seventy nine, eighty, eighty one, eighty two." Which was when dad had started to tie up a little boys shoes for him, scaring his mum slightly, but he was harmless. Kids were harmless, right? But we met Clara outside a pub, which I went to go inside of but he didn't let me. "I just thought that it was in there!" He gave me a look. "OK, fine, but you won't even let me have anything with a high sugar content!"

"Were you two bickering the whole way here?" Maybe. "It's off this street, I am certain."

Well, probably. "We're very close. We need to distract our other senses." Father looked at me. "Dumpling, go back to the TARDIS. Pick up all my most annoying stuff."

"What were we just talking about?"

"How your centre of gravity is you arse, now much!"

Wow. He really was not listening.

But I went back, shoving in all his stupid toys, including the guitar though that was something that I actually liked, before pausing next to the console. Rigsy's phone - which was still plugged in beeped. Data Recovered, perfect. I put down the box and took the phone instead back to him, much to his annoyance. I would have been more annoyed with the trombone to be honest. "What happened to the stuff I asked you to bring?"

"It got eaten by an evil dumpling, shush." Then looked at Graffiti Kid. "Someone called you. Yesterday, 6am. Blocked number."

As soon as Rigsy touched the phone, he dropped it, before freaking out for a moment. Dad was very interested. "What is it? What are you remembering?"

He stumbled, Clara catching him as I stared at the new gap in the road. Holy shit, Batman. "Rigsy, what is it?"

"You can't see it? There!"

"I see it. I play a Sorceress in Oblivion, VR. Pretty fun powers." I nodded, before pinching dad and Clara. Which meant that they were then also able to see the tiny cobbled alley into a courtyard. "Fifty minutes left. Hoodie up, Graffiti Kid. They know what you look like in there."

Dad lead the way into the hidden street, which started with a courtyard area, the architecture Elizabethan, Georgian, Victorian, all thrown into one and illuminated by street lamps. "How come I saw it when you guys couldn't? Only Gee could."

He shrugged. "You were upset, weren't you? Something slipped through the retconned memory. Something that took over your whole mind. Something juicy. So the misdirection circuit lost its power over you. My daughter, as a hypnotist, and a sorceress until she plays another video game, can link minds with people every so often, though it is very rude and I have told her to stop doing it."

"Bite me."

"You sound just like your mother." I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering which one he was talking about. "Oh, that's something I will be keeping to myself."

I shivered in disgust as Clara had a thought. Anything to take my mind off of whatever the hell he was talking about. "Surely people wander in here all the time, then, distracted, on their phones or whatever?"

Likely, given that people were morons. "Well, perhaps they do-"

Light zigzaged through the cobbles towards us but I saw it in advanced and jumped, so it was only the other that had their feet stuck to the ground. An alarm rang so two men come out of hiding. Not humans, my Mage Sight spell let me right away see that they were a Lugal-Irra-Kush, and a Rowancrest. "Four at once."

"That's new."

"Hang about." Father and I were sniffed, my hands tensed to throw them away with a blizzard. I wasn't a Dark Elf for nothing. "These ones don't smell human."

Their manner towards us changed instantly. Good thing that mum topped my blood up, I smelt more like her than my human mother Lucy now. Wonder what she would think of me. "Name, species and case for asylum. Quick as you like."

Wait, what? "Asylum?

The Rowancrest seemed a bit confused. "The reason you're here. The reason you need sanctuary." Then grabbed his colleagues arm. "Why didn't they use the protocol?"

"I saw through the circuit again." Graffiti Kid muttered to dad and I. "I saw them. They're definitely not human."

This was true, but that wasn't what I needed to know. "You do know this is a refugee camp?"'

Was it now? And who set this up? "Yeah, of course."

A familiar woman then entered, hair up in large curls 1940s style, and escorted by two police officers. "Of course Terror does, now that you've told her."

"Mayor Me."

Dad and Clara were in shock. Neither of them knew that we knew each other rather well now, the two girls that shouldn't exist in the universe. The Immortal and the Daughter of the Master. "Ashildr."

"Ashildr?"

"Oh, for fucks sake, muffin. That's your name. I keep telling you that."

"Do you? Infinite lifespan, finite memory. It makes for an awkward social life." Last I checked, it was occasionally more than just social, Ashildr. "You must be Clara Oswald. You're as beautiful as your photos and portraits."

My best friend was alarmed. "We met."

The girl nodded at her with a smile. "Yes, I know. It's in my diaries." Now looked at dad who was looking more calm, but didn't like that she was here. He was full blooded Time Lord, meant that he knew when things were wrong. I couldn't, it was why I'd taken to meeting up with Jack occasionally to break him out of whatever prison he had been thrown into this time. "Oh, don't look like that. I enjoyed our conversations. I've read them many times."

"Okay, that's slightly odd, but nice." Then looked between myself, leaning against a lamp post. "Er, hang on, so this is where you've been. That's why she lost track of you." Oh, no, no, no, no nononono. This was not happening. "'Oh, come on, please. It's really cute she thinks I don't know. Dumpling's got this whole secret room in the TARDIS where she collects mentions of you. I never thought she was going to grow up enough to get crushes."

"It's not cute or a crush. It's surveillance. And... Fun."

"Dad, enough with the fucking nickname. This is nothing more than blowing off steam and professional interest."

"Precautionary measure."

Sex was precautionary? I thought we were supposed to take precautions against it? "Still saving the world from me and mine, then?"

Ashildr raised a perfect eyebrow. "It's still here, isn't it?" I wasn't going to be for much longer. Your job would be far harder when both mum and dad had no child.

"She lost track of you in the early 1800s." Dad interjected, clearly not a fan of the subtext between us. Well, in the eyes of Gallifrey, I wasn't even a teenager yet. "I wondered if you were-"

"Oh, no. I let her know I was okay." The odd photo, where she was hidden in the back where the companion couldn't see.

"I saw you."

She shook her head. "No, I got your attention."

You knew my name and you knew what I why that was what I chose, was that really a good thing, Ashildr? "Yes, you did, and you have. Now we need your help. Someone in this place is in control of the Quantum Shade."

Dad gestured Graffiti Kid to lower his hood, before one of the guards snarled, making me do it back as my heart murmured softly in my chest. "I knew I recognised that smell."

"Oh." My rival turned her back on us

"Ashildr?" Clara asked softly as I paused, taking a tablet. Was life really worth it if I spent my whole life in a glass cage, living off pills and not having coffee or anything? When I went, I wanted to go on my terms, on a high. Not watching dad and mum keep me alive and in pain. "What's going on?"

Then the Viking Girl removed her scarf and turned around. Those marks... I prayed to never see them again, to never see them on anyone else. "You."'

Her tone became brisk and business like. "How do you know this man?"

This was when my best friend became very angry. "Hang on. You did this to Rigsy?"'

"What have you done?"

It meant nothing to her. "This man committed a crime. I sentenced him."

"Sentenced him?"

"I also gave him enough time to return home and say goodbye to his family."

Now it was dad who was getting very angry. There was a child involved, of course he was angry and who could blame him? "You flooded his brain with retcon! Till we showed up, he didn't even know that he had to say goodbye."

"I'm afraid no intruder leaves this place without a memory wipe." Her eyes met mine as I stayed uncharacteristically quiet. Something didn't work or add up here, I didn't like it one bit. "With respect, that will include you."

I shook my head. "Hypnosis doesn't allow it to work, and it clashes with my heart meds. You retcon me, you face the wrath of my parents who will know what it was that killed me. Tell me what happened here yesterday to say that pillock face over here needed to die, alright? I could force you, but for the sake of my sanity and dads blood pressure, can we please just be civil?"

Her eyes hesitated a moment, before relenting. She never could say no to me, given that I had some degree of power over her. "Fine, I'll show you. Mister Kabel, Mister Rump. Permit them entry. Miss Masters, please inform me of the last video game you played so that I may be aware of any... Tricks, shall we say, up your sleeve."

Like hell was I doing that, bitchface. "Hearthstone. You've already endangered one of my mutual friends. I want your personal guarantee that you will not endanger one that I am actually incredibly close to or my father." They both tried to protest. "Ashildr."

"I guarantee the safety of Clara Oswald and your adoptive father, the Doctor." Ashildr nodded. "They will be under my personal protection. That is absolute."

"If that's your wish, Mayor Me."

Then Kabel stepped on a cobble, releasing those that weren't already free. Myself. "Thisway."

"Nice Judoon by the way. 'Ello boys." I smiled at them as we started to walk, the frost spells I had under my belt a comforting thought if something was to go wrong. Which it nearly always did. "So you're still calling yourself Me, then?"

I got blinked at. "Me?"

This was what kept happening, you forgot your own bloody name, love. "Mayor Me."

"Mayor is a title. I give myself a title for the same reason you do, Terror." No, my name simply came from what I was good at causing, even without a single death. "Something to live up to."

"Difficult, isn't it?" I asked, people shying away from Rigsy. Eh, try being tried as a witch and then coming back from the dead. "How long have you been here?"

She shrugged. "Since Waterloo."

Which confused father, of course. Names with many meanings never were his thing. "The battle?"

Ashildr rolled her eyes as I stopped him, sensing danger nearby, at least for us. "No, the station. Doctor, tread carefully while you're here. Some of your greatest enemies are within a few feet of you. As far as you're concerned, this is the most dangerous street in London. And not just because Miss Masters is in it."

"I go by Pratchett, actually."

Clara didn't actually care. "Fascinating. Now, can we skip to the part where you want Rigsy dead for some reason?"

People started to panic again, a bulky man, a Sontaran, standing up from a table in the middle of the street. Even Ashildr stood no chance against a Sontaran, and her Judoon wouldn't have the best shot either. "It's best we get him inside first." They were all glaring and yelling things, not at me for once, but the Mayor calmed them. "Like I said, it's best we get inside."

We started to walk again, but I paused first by the cage containing a raven, one that I had kept with me for 20 years before I couldn't take it any longer and released it. All the whispering in my ear, it, it... It drove you insane. "Hello again, old friend. Been a while, Byrne."

"You know the Shade?" Ashildr asked, genuinely surprised. "Closely?"

"Why do you think I hate birds?" I replied, before moving on. "When I set him free, I set it free hoping that I'd starved it enough so it would die. I never meant for you to end up with him." Then changed the subject entirely. "This misdirection circuit of yours is remarkable. The cloaking device that hides the street, makes everyone look like humans. I see through it, but it's strong."

There was a smug smile on her face for that. "It's no device. It's the Lurkworms. Quite something, aren't they?" The grubs instead of bulbs in the lamps. "The light is a telepathic field. It normalises everything you see, places it within the compass of your expectations, your experiences. You can bypass them, of course." Dad was watching a man being tended to by a woman, so she pinched him to let him see the Cyberman and Ood that were really there. "Don't worry, we're perfectly safe."

For some strange reason, neither of us bought that. "Yes, a phrase I find is usually followed by a lot of screaming and running and bleeding."

"I brokered a truce." The Viking explained. "We have strict rules against violence here. Rules every creature must abide by if they wish to remain on the street." People were still yelling a Rigsy. "What's better, that they're in here with me, peaceful and cooperative, or out there on Earth like the Zygons? We haven't had an act of violence on this street for a hundred years, until yesterday, when your friend here attacked one of our most vulnerable residents."

My best friend thought of a pretty good defence as we went into an Elizabethan style house. "How did Rigsy even get in? I mean, we barely managed it, and we knew what we were looking for."'

"She was found at the entrance of the street." Ashildr told us as we all paused, looking at the body in the stasis chamber. Pretty bad knock to the head, could easily have killed her... "No weapon on the scene, but the cause of death is likely the head wound. Seems she was knocked to the cobblestones."

Oh, really? "Seems? You've sentenced Rigsy to death yet you don't know exactly what's going on?"

"He was found over the body. My people were angry, frightened. I had to act."

A leader knew when to act and when to control her masses until the truth was found. Truth or Consequences taught me to think before I leaped, among other things. I went to say this, but Graffiti Boy spoke first. "What was her name?"

She considered him carefully, older than me but by no means as wise. It took more than living to learn what I had from my parents. "Anah. We're keeping her here until someone can take her home for burial."

Dad was transfixed. "She's a Janus."

"She escaped slavery." The Viking girl replied softly, being respectful of the dead. "She fled here with her child."

I knew the legends of the Janus. "The child. A daughter? And please tell me not a little thing, all sticky and snotty."

"No, a teenage boy."

"Is that bad?"

My father, who was deep in thought, shook his head. "No, it's not bad, it's just unhelpful. A daughter might've seen who killed her mother." And nodded to the back of Anah's head, Clara stepping forward to see a second face there. "The female Janus is psychic. One face sees into the future, the other looks behind her, into the past."

Which helped her a little. "I think we saw her son outside."

Our Graffiti Artist was reaching panic levels again. "Clara, what if I did do it? I mean, I wouldn't have meant to hurt her, but, what if I wandered in and saw what she really looked like? What if I freaked?"

Not likely. "You didn't just wander in here. You were called here at 6am by a number from a mystery phone."

"There is no way you did this."

"So, what then?" Ashildr asked, like this was nothing to her. "You think someone called him here? Set him up?"

Clara said yes as we heard an old man calling from outside for her. "Obviously. Which means one of your pet aliens out there is the real killer."

Banging started on the door, the man sounding desperate. Byrne was happy, healthy, well fed. There must have been a few little rule breakers for that to happen. "I just need to talk to her."

"Excuse me." She sighed, heading to the door. "I'm sorry."

Dad rolled his eyes. "Yes. Please, go. It's not like we've got a ticking clock or anything."

"Mayor, I beg of you, please-" With 41 minutes to go, we followed her back out into the street, a crowd having gathered as the man and who I assumed to be his wife begging. Worst way to go, that, begging for a life that was going to end anyway. May as well just bow your head and think of everyone you love and why you love them. At least then you'd die happy. "Lock me up, throw us out, anything but this. Please. I only took it to save her."

"How many minutes left?"

Rump checked the back of the man's neck. "Two, Madam Mayor."

So she addressed the crowd. "This man stole medical rations. He broke a rule of the street and he stole from all of you. And yes, I can remove the chronolock. But I won't. Our rules keep us safe."

His wife in turned tried to beg the man. I knew how it all worked, but why would he? This way, he knew she lived on. "Give it to me. Please. Tell me I can have it. One word. Say it. Say yes."

"I did this to save you, you silly old thing." He replied fondly. "You really think I could lose you now?"

Ashildr breathed in, closing her eyes as the tattoo evaporate off her. "It's the Quantum Shade. It's kind of a spirit. Once it's bound to a victim you could flee across all of time and all of the universe, it would still find you. His name is Byrne and if you think my mother likes killing, then you haven't seen anything since you meet that spirit."

The old man and woman embraced, before Byrne landed on an awning and cawed. In fear, the man ran, trying to escape through a house, but it followed. He always followed. "At least give him a merciful death, you cold hearted bitch.

"Do you think a Cyberman fears a merciful death?" She asked in reply, cooly using this as an example to her people. An example to Rigsy of what was to come. "Peace on this street depends on one thing. To break it in any way is to face the Raven. You know all about that, don't you, Miss Masters?"

Which was when the old man died, Byrne just ripping out his soul as Kabel comforted his missus. "Fear Not Death, for the hour of your Doom is set and none may escape it. Right, Ashildr?"

She didn't rise to it. "I have no wish to harm your friend if he is innocent, Galaxy Kasterborous. Question anyone. Examine the body. But it's not me you need to convince of Rigsy's innocence. It's them."

Then she headed off, Graffiti Kid making a call as Clara nipped to the loo. Hell of a time. "Okay, we split up. Cover more ground. I'm good cop, you're bad cop, Clara is sort of in the middle, depending on what show we last watched. Brooklyn 99 is kinda addictive."

"No, no, no, we don't have. Can I not be the good cop?"

"Daddy, we've discussed this. Your eyebrows just don't cooperate and you don't let me deal with that for you."

So he changed tact to get away from the fact that I wanted to wax his eyebrows. "Oh, yes. Well, forget about cops, right? Forget about finding the real killer. You heard Ashildr. All we have to do is persuade these creatures that it isn't Rigsy. And fast."

Meaning we split up for a bit, leaving me free to go to the pub. Well, Mr Rump was there and psychology states that if you copy the body language of the person you're talking to, they're more inclined to be responsive. So, I got a pint as well. "Are you sure it wasn't someone from the street?"

"I've told you already there wasn't anyone up that end of the street except Anah and the human."

"I've identified twenty seven different species on this street so far, fifteen of whom are known for aggression, often unprovoked no matter what they say in court. Why is it so hard to believe that one of them is capable of murder?"

He shrugged, drinking, so I copied. For Rigsy, honest. "Capable of murder, yeah. Capable of killing Anah? No."

Ugh, it was Elena from Vampire Diaries all over again. I only watched that show for Candice King and Ian Somerhalder. "Why not? What's so special about her?" He explained, the way that she just... She understood and made you feel safe. The opposite of Elena, given that people always died around her from her own stupid life choices. "So you just want the human dead, is that it?"

"You don't get it, do you?" He asked me, making me shift uncomfortably under his gaze. Not many people could do that. "If the human didn't do it, that means one of us did it, which means folks start pointing fingers, turning on each other. And once we turn on each other in here, that's it. I might as well be back in a war zone."

That wasn't fair. "So you'll just let Rigsy die?"

"To keep the peace? Yeah, I will."

I finished my drink and met up with Clara and Graffiti Kid by stall, before dad came running over, flapping his hands like an idiot. "Clara and Georgia," ah, forgot we didn't tell him I was the same girl, "gave you my number for emergencies. So when you wake up with a weird tattoo on your neck and no memory of the last twenty four hours, the first thing you do is call the Doctor. But you find yourself accused of murder on a strange alien street in the middle of London. Only they've taken your phone, so you beg the woman in charge to call me instead. She knew you and I were friends. So why'd she lie? Unless she had something to hide." Another shout of murderer. "There's something very wrong here and we're running out of time."

Clara cleared her throat. "There's twelve minutes left. I'm not giving up yet."

Graffiti Kid gave my best friend a strange glance. "Look, Clara, even if one of them knows something, they're not going to come forward. The way they look at me."

"The way they look at you?"

She took us to Anah's home, knocking on the door so the boy, girl, opened it before trying to go back on that. "Hey, wait. Everyone here is weird around us because of Rigsy. But not you. You look at me and GeeK and the Doctor like you're confused. Like you're curious."

"I don't know what you mean."

I knew eyes like that. Ones that had an understanding of the universe that they didn't want but they didn't have a choice in the matter. "You do. You know Rigsy is innocent because you can look into his past and you can see it, can't you?" Which got us let inside, dad checking my monitor quickly before giving me another dose of the high intensity stuff. Made you see pink rhinoceroses everywhere, but at least it didn't hurt. "She dressed you as a boy to protect you, but really you're a girl. You have the inheritance."

"I'm safe as a boy." The girl replied firmly, though I'd already worked that out. "This is the first place I've ever been safe, and you want me to throw it away? To admit what I am?"

Dad wasn't beating around the bush though. "The Mayor. What is she up to? It's nothing good, is it?"

"I can't see everything, but she thinks she's doing the right thing."

Which made me groan, rubbing my eyes. Mum all over again. "They usually do. If what Ashildr is doing is harmless, then we'll just walk out of that door. No one will know of your abilities. But if it's not-"

"I don't know what she means to do. No, I'm trying, but I can't see it." Her eyes fixed on me. "I can't see it because it involves you. When I look at you, I can't tell your past from your future, and there's so very much of both. Or, there could be, but either you die young or you go on forever."

Of course. Why else would this have happened if not for her to get her own way? "This isn't about Rigsy. It's about me."

Anahson closed her eyes, and the face on the back of her head opened its eyes and spoke with a slightly distorted voice. "She couldn't just ask you here. She needed a mystery. You can never resist a mystery. She's afraid."

Ashildr? Afraid? Who out there was left capable of that? "Afraid of what? Of whom?"

"I can't see." So swapped back to the first face. "I'm sorry."

Oh, you had to be shitting me. Ignoring my fathers protests, I started at a run back to the main house, throwing something at Byrne as I got cawed at but just burst in, my chest aching but I ignored it. Screw it, if I died then at least I would do it saving a life. "Ashildr said Anah was being taken home for burial. But the Janus burn their dead." No one else got the importance. "There's something about this tech-"

"Look, Galaxy, we don't have time-"

"What is it?"

I messed with my scanner, hacking the machine before managing to get up some strange readings. "It looks like medical data."

"But it can't be. She's dead. She isn't breathing."

Oh, of course... I knew there was something strange about this, because I was feeling more life signs than I should have done. This thing's a stasis pod. If you're dead, it's a kind of fancy refrigerator. But if you're alive-" And boosted the volume so the heartbeat was audible. "It simply keeps you that way."

Her daughters face lit up in hope. "She's alive?"

More than I could say for myself. "She's alive."

"Well, get her out! Get her out of there!"

What did you think I was doing, Anahson? "There must be a way to unlock it. Something basic, something simple that I'm missing."

I kept pressing on the screen, dad coming to help before Graffiti was being annoying. "Keyholes!"

"Keyholes would be very handy, yes, but haven't got any."

"No, no, no, a keyhole! Look!"

In the side of the base of the machine. Oh, Ashildr... Of course it just came down to the TARDIS. "I'll find her." The Janus insisted, heading for the door. "I'll get the key."

"No, Anahson, stay here." I told her, taking the black cord from my neck carefully, looking at my key. "There's a reason that the Mayor has gone AWOL. She means for us to release your mother, but she doesn't want us to use her keys. She wants to use ours, dad."

He held up his own Yale key, the teeth slightly different. All keys were different, they got keyed in to different people so she knew who was coming in. It's how Ashildr would know that dad used his key, instead of the now blank ex companion keys. Jack was the only living one who still had his. "The TARDIS. That's what this is about." Clara breathed in shock, before we went to end this. "No, wait!"

"This girl needs her mother." We replied, turning our keys before our wrists were trapped with a clunk. "Ah! I can't-"

"What's it doing?

We pulled our arms out, the panel sliding shut, so the green lasers disappeared, and Anah breathed. New shiny steel bracelets were firmly clamped on our right forearms as Rigsy and Anahson caught Anah before she fell. "Mum! Mum, are you okay?"

Now Ashildr was here as I went to start hacking the bracelet but the scanner zapped me and got magnetised to the machine. Bitch! "She'll be perfectly fine in a few moments. I assure you."

We glared at her. "There are easier ways to steal a key, you know."

"I don't want your fathers TARDIS." She replied firmly. "That's not what this is about. Rigsy, come here, I'll remove your chronolock."

"What is this, Ashildr?" I demanded, ice forming around my hands as I tapped into my temporary manna. "You can't possibly think this is going to keep me here."

She shrugged. "It's not a restraint. It's a teleport bracelet." The both of us stared at her. "I'll give you time to say goodbye, don't worry. No one will be hurt."

These were two different styles of bracelets. One was long range, one short. Mine was long range. "Where are you sending me? You're sending us to different places, why are you separating us? I'm going to be dead soon, Ashildr, just let me die with my family."

"I made a deal to protect the street. They take you both, I take the keys and the scanner so you can't be traced, the bracelet blocking your connection to your mother. I do as they tell me, and the street is safe."

Dad stared at her. "They? Who are they?"

"One more thing. Your confession dial." She continued, holding out her hand. His will... "They have other means of procuring it, but I understand it's likely to be on your person. Please, no resistance. You've already lost." He handed it over. My name was on there, I could see that now. Mine, mums, Clara and Jack. The only friends that knew this face properly. "What is it?"

"In your terms, my last will and testament."

"How does it work?"

He shrugged. "I've no idea."

"Well, thank you anyway." And put it on the mantelpiece. "Rigsy, your neck."

Only he looked at my best friend. "Clara, what are you playing at? The chronolock!"

Her jaw tensed as she looked at Ashildr. "Take the teleport off them first."

Then showed us the back of her neck, ticking down to zero. Oh, by all the stars, no!

"No. No, you didn't."

"Go on, then. Take it off."

"Clara, you didn't!" I cried, grabbing her so I could see the numbers myself. "You stupid idiot, what the hell did you think you were doing?!"

Even Ashildr looked shocked, utterly lost. "I had no idea she'd do something so stupid. I swear, I never meant for anyone to get hurt. Look, what were you thinking? Sacrificing yourself? Your best friend is already dying, imagine the Doctor losing you both!"

But the girl was still thinking that she wasn't in any danger. "I wasn't sacrificing anything. It was strategy. Backup plan, to buy us more time."

"Who told you to give it to her?"

"Nobody did. I did. Rump said-"

So Rump was added to my kill list, good to know. "What exactly did Rump say?"

"He said the death is locked in. You can pass it on, but you-" Then realised it all herself. "But-"

The oldest and most clear rule of the Chronolock. "But you can't cheat it altogether."

Graffiti Kid started to freak out. "Clara, you didn't tell me that. Give it back to me, now."

Maybe talk to Byrne's previous owner it future, you idiots! "She can't." Ashildr replied sadly. "Clara, I made a contract with the Shade when I put the chronolock on Rigsy. I promised it a soul and only I can break that contract, like how Galaxy Kasterborous got out of it when she had it. When you took it from him, you changed the terms. You cut me out of the deal."

"We can fix this, can't we? We always fix it."

"No." I told her darkly. "But you can. Fix this. Fix it now. Better yet, give Byrne to me as a whole, the battle of will could stop him in his track and just kill us both."

She shook her head in shock. "It, it's not possible. I can't. You know the Shade can only be passed when all contracts are fulfilled."

Don't ever tell me rules, you knew who my parents were. "Yes, it is, you can, and you will, or this street will be over. I'll show you and all your funny little friends to the whole laughing world. I'll bring UNIT, I'll bring the Zygons. Give me a minute, I'll bring the Daleks and the Cybermen and my mother. You will save Clara, and you will do it now, or I will rain hell on you for the rest of my time."

Dad was just letting me blaze, but Clara tried to stop me as Ashildr shook her head. "You can't."

"I can do whatever the hell I like. You've read the stories. You know who I am and what I come from." I shrugged, the room going deadly cold as frost formed on the windows. "And in all of that time, did you ever hear anything about anyone who stopped me? I may not have killed, but I had fun with the torture, laughed at it."

"'I know Gee. Gee would never-"

You thought that you deserved to speak to her? Oh no, never. "Gee is no longer here! You are stuck with the Terror. And I will end you, and everything you love then sit by your corpses and take afternoon tea."

Only Clara had heard enough. "Galaxy Kaster, for God's sake, will you stop? I did this, do you hear me? I did this. This is my fault."

My father and I shrugged. "We don't care."

"Liars. You always care. Always have. Your reign of terror will end with the sight of the first crying child, the first abused girl and you know it." We tried to interrupt. "I do. Listen, if this is the last I ever see of you both, please, not like this." Byrne called to us from outside. He was finally getting his own back from when I starved him. "Is there anything you can do?" She started to apologise. "Time's short. Yes or no?"

"No."

She took a breath, then nodded. "Well, if Danny Pink can do it, so can I." What? "Die right. Die like I mean it. Face the Raven."

Shut up. "No. This, this isn't happening. This can't be happening."

Her smile was real though, afraid, but... How had she come to terms with death so quickly. "Maybe this is what I wanted. Maybe this is it. Maybe this is why I kept running. Maybe this is why I kept taking all those stupid risks. Kept pushing it."

"This is my fault."

"Stop it, my sister. The world is not your fault, simply because you were in the room. This is my choice."

Dad now tried to take the blame. "I let you get reckless."

My best friend shrugged. "Why? Why shouldn't I be so reckless? You're reckless all the bloody time. Why can't I be like you? Be how Galaxy wants to be?"

Because you had worth, had a purpose. What did I have? "Clara, there's nothing special about me. I am nothing, but I'm less breakable than you, even with my heart. I should have taken care of you."

"I never asked you to. You never needed to, I'm the big sister in this pairing."

Bitch, I was 85 years older than you. "You shouldn't have to ask."

Rigsy tried to apologise too. "Clara, if I'd known, I'd-" She silenced him. "But I-"

"Really, Rigsy, shut up. If you feel guilty about this, even for one minute, I-" Byrne cawed, so she looked at dad and I. "You. Now, you listen to me. You're going to be alone now, the two of you together, and you're very bad at that. You're going to be furious and you're going to be sad, but listen to me. Don't let this change you or pull you apart. No, listen. Whatever happens next, wherever she is sending you, even if its different places, I know what you're capable of. You don't be a Warrior or a Terror. Promise me. Be a Doctor. Be an artist."

"What's the point of being a Doctor if I can't cure you? You're everything to her."'

"Heal yourself and heal her. You have to. You can't let this turn you into a monster. Gee already has me trapped in paint, so you can't ever forget me." How could we? My best friend... "So, I'm not asking you for a promise, I'm giving you an order. You will not insult my memory. There will be no revenge. I will die, and no one else, here or anywhere, will suffer."

My heart was thumping in my chest, bang bang bang bang. Oh, it hurt... Let me go with her, Death, please? "What about me?"

"If there was something I could do about that, I would. But we both know your heart is going to get fixed one day, GeeK." How? "I guess we're all just going to have to be brave." She hugged dad, then me, holding me tighter as I refused to ever let go of her. "Everything you are about to say, I already know. I love you too, sister, more than anything. Don't do it now. We've already had enough bad timing."

"Don't run. Stay with me. People always die when I turn around."

Clara Oswin Oswald just shook her head, pulling free from me. "Nah. You stay here. In the end, everybody does this alone." No, they died with family around them. "This is as brave as I know how to be. I know it's going to hurt you, but, please, be a little proud of me." Then kissed my cheek as I pressed a drawing into her hand. The last one I did of us, so even in death she would remember me as I was now. "Goodbye, Galaxy Kasterborous Vivienne Minerva. Doctor."

And headed onto the street as Byrne cawed again, utterly fearless and brave as she face him on the cobbles. I watched from the doorway, watching her be brave before it soared into her middle and she screamed as it hurt. It always hurt, leaving into the nothingness, but then she went relaxed and limp as the Shade left and she went to the floor. Dead, but never, ever forgotten.

We took her inside, dad helping as I struggled to keep going with my heart before Ashildr apologised again. "I'm sorry, Gee, Doctor. I truly am."

She stepped up to the stasis chamber control panel, made it beep, then stepped away again. Like hell were you sorry. You'd be sorry when I let you finally die. "What Clara said about not taking revenge. Do you know why she said that?"

"She was saving you."

You thought that I deserved to be saved? Bless, she clearly didn't know what I was capable of doing. She made the first attack, what I did now was simply self defence. "I was lost a long time ago, when my father found me on Gallifrey. She was saving you because she knew what I was capable of. I'll do my best, but I strongly advise you to keep out of my way. You'll find that it's a very small universe when I'm angry with you. Especially when my mother finds out what you did."

Then we were beamed away, a universe apart. But everything faded into blackness as my heart gave out again. Clara, I was coming...


	27. Chapter TwentySeven

The Doctor:

As you come into this world, something else is also born.You begin your life, and it begins a journey towards you. It moves slowly, but it never stops. Wherever you go, whatever path you take, it will follow. Never faster, never slower, always coming. You will run. It will walk. You will rest. It will not. One day, you will linger in the same place too long. You will sit too still or sleep too deep, and when, too late, you rise to go, you will notice a second shadow next to yours. Your life will then be over.

I appeared In a large room containing the teleport command chamber and its separate control console, coughing and gasping. The machinery slowed and stopped around me as I struggled ot catch my breath, wondering how my daughter, who had been sent further away, was coping. Her heart... Oh, my baby girl, I was going to find you and help make the universe alright for you. Opening the curved perspex door of the chamber, I stepped out, closing it behind me, remembering my daughters face as the Quantum Shade ripped her best friend apart from the inside out. Then distracted myself by scooping up a handful of sand from the floor, letting it trickle through my fingers.

It was like trying to catch time itself.

"If you think because she is dead, and she is dying, I am weak, then you understand very little."' I addressed whoever was watching me. "If you were any part of killing her and taking away my daughter, and you're not afraid, then you understand nothing at all. So, for your own sake, understand this. I am the Doctor. I'm coming to find you, and I will never, ever stop."

Then cautiously I headed out of the room, going anticlockwise along a curved corridor with medieval style arrow windows cut into the outer wall. Both for light, and to defend the castle this must have been, or the tower I saw when I looked through them. "The equipment in that room is consistent with an augmented ultra long-range teleport. So, I'm not more than a single light year from where I was, and I'm in the same time zone, even if my Galaxy Kaster is not."'

I looked up out of another opening at the sky then across a courtyard at more towers before starting to walk back clockwise. "When the sun sets, I'll be able to establish an exact position by the stars. Then you'll have a choice. Come out, show yourself, or keep on hiding. Clara said GeeK shouldn't take revenge. You should know, I don't think that extends to myself."

A little further on I found a spade with soil on it leaning against the inner wall. Ugh, really? "Oh, what's this? Well, are you gardeners? I hate gardening! What sort of a person has a power complex about flowers? It's dictatorship for inadequates. Or to put it another way, it's dictatorship. Come on! Chop, chop! The Doctor will see you now! Show me what you've got! I just watched my daughters best friend die in agony, before she was beamed away with a heart defect that's killing her. My day can't get any worse. Let's see what we can do about yours!"

Peering out of the nearest opening at the wall, I could see across the courtyard. It had narrow slit openings, and there was a figure in pale grey veils standing at one of them. It looked just like my nightmares from childhood. I backed away and checked the view on the nearest screen, one of many randomly dotted around. It was fixed perfectly on myself, the viewpoint of the creature.

The hunchbacked figure turned away from the slit and moved along the corridor. According to the screens, the being moved slowly, as if it is dragging a leg. Weary legs and wear bones, how can I find my way back home? Each step was a thump, and they were getting closer as I wafted away a fly, then retreated from the approaching sounds. Running down a narrow corridor, I found a wooden door at the end, but it was locked. But the creature, the Veil from my nightmares, it was already at the other end.

"I know you. I've seen you before." Then put my hand on the door, trying to get it to listen to me. "I used to know a trick, back when I was young and telepathic. Clearly, you can't make an actual psychic link with a door, for one very obvious reason. They're notoriously cross. I mean, imagine life as a door. People keep pushing past you. All of that knocking, but it's never for you. And you get locked up every night, so if you're just a little bit nice." The door unlocked for me. Thank you... "See, Girls?? Still got it."

Only to find a solid wall a pace just behind it. With the Veil now almost behind me. "But I. Er, I can't actually see a way out of this I've finally run out of corridor. There's a life summed up, hey, Dumpling? Oh, now this is new. I'm scared. I just realised that I'm actually scared of dying." It had been reaching for my head then, trying to wrap four long fingers from each hand around me when it stopped dead with clang like clockwork. "Something I said? What did I say?" Even the flies were frozen! "Why did you stop?"

A loud cracking and rumbling of cogs started up so I turned to look out of an opening to see sections of the walls rotating in opposite directions with the uppermost faster than the lower ones, rather like the upper section of the TARDIS time rotor did. The obstructing wall moved aside and I ran into the revealed room.

The cogs stopped as I entered the bedroom, testing the springs in the bed then picked one of the stems of hemerocallis from a vase by the window and sniffed it. Then I saw a portrait hanging over the fireplace, it's paint and varnish old and cracked and peeling. It was, of course, a painting of Clara Oswald and Galaxy Kaster, painted just the same as how my daughter did it. I picked up a jeweller's eyeglass that was conveniently by the frame and examined the state of the oils. "Old. Very old. Possibly very, very old. It's a painting by my daughter, but it's older than her."

At which point a fly landed on the portrait, making me drop the glass from my eye and turn to face the Veil. "When I was a very little boy, there was an old lady who died." Then popped my cheek, trying to think of an escape route. "They covered her in veils, but it was a hot, sunny day, and the flies came. It gave me nightmares for years. So, who's been stealing my nightmares?" And moved on to pluck petals from the flowers. "What am I here for? You've known about me for a very long time, right?"

Then put the eyeglass back in and dodged around to see if the Veil could actually see me. "So, what is it? Is it a trap? Is it a prison? No! Is it a torture chamber? Am I right? Somebody really should know better. Anyone who can put all of this together and steal my bad dreams, they should know better." Before letting the eyeglass fall to the ground again. "The secrets I have? No chance. No telling, not me. Besides, one of them will still very much hurt."

Now ducked under the veiled being's arms, grabbing a wooden stool to fend it off. "I told you I was scared of dying. And I wasn't lying either. Advantage, me!" And threw it out the window, hearing the wind howling around the strange tower. "Because you won't see this coming!"

And followed it out, free falling, before bursting back into the TARDIS, going right to the console to throw the scanner aside. "Sorry I'm late. Jumped out of a window. Certain death. Don't you want to know how I survived? Go on. Ask me!"' I heard my daughters voice, bored as ever, while Clara was more curious as to alternative methods. "No, of course I had to jump! The first rule of being interrogated is that you are the only irreplaceable person in the torture chamber. The room is yours, so work it. If they're going to threaten you with death, show them who's boss. Die faster. Not you though, GeeK, ever try that and I'll ground you. Besides, you've seen me do that more often than most. Isn't that right, Girls? Rule one of dying, don't. Rule two, slow down."

They had their back to me, both at my chalk board. "You've got the rest of your life. The faster you think, the slower it will pass. Concentrate. Assume you're going to survive. Always assume that. Imagine you've already survived. There's a storm room in your mind. Lock the door and think. This is my storm room. I always imagine that I'm back in my TARDIS, showing off, telling you how I escaped, making you laugh. Just like I used to do back home, dumpling, your sanctuary used to be my storm room before it hurt too much to go back. That's what I'm doing right now. I am falling, Girls. I'm dying. And I am going to explain to you how I survived. I can't wait to hear what I say. I'm nothing without an audience. One hope. Salt. Thought I smelled it earlier. When I broke the window, I was sure. Salty air. This castle is standing in the sea. Diving into water from a great height is no guarantee of survival. I need to know exactly how far I'm going to fall, and how fast."

Calculations were scrolling up the scanner as the top of the time rotor turned. "Why do you think I threw the stool? Fall time to impact, seven seconds. The wind resistance of the stool, the atmospheric density, the strength of the local gravity. Am I spoiling the magic? I work at this stuff, you know? Giving you a coin from every planet, Gee, always used to make you laugh. Should hit the water in about point zero two seconds. The chances of remaining conscious are-"

Then everything went dark for a moment, my brain just in shock from the impact of the water and the temperature change. But it came back up as I heard two different scratches on the board, on writing, the other? Well, my daughter was an artist to the core. "Question 1. What is this place?" With a drawing of the building itself.

"Can't I just sleep?"

"Question 2. What did you say that made the creature stop?" The creature and me, words all around us both

"Do I have to know everything?"

The writing became fast and angry, letting me see Galaxy's spiky, rushed writing. "How are you going to-"

Oh, my little girl... "Dumpling, I can't always-"

"Win, Daddy??" And a drawing of her with arms folded and utterly determined expression. She used to give me that look when she was little, determined to reach up and paint the ceiling with the stars I described.

Waking up slowly, I saw the filtered sunlight revealing that the sea bed is covered in long humanoid skulls. Fully conscious again, I swam up to the surface and gasped for breath, before climbing up and out to see the full castle in all its glory. A central tower with four spokes coming off it on two levels, connecting to the outer circular wall.

Dripping wet, I walked up a staircase into a room with a roaring log fire, a pair of boots in front of the hearth, and trousers, jacket, waistcoat, shirt all on a wooden clothes horse to the side. Going to the fire, I warmed myself briefly, then compared the cuff buttons on the dry jacket with my own. Identical. So exchanged the wet clothes for the dry ones. After a brief pause my OCD kicked in and puts my wet garments back exactly where I found the dry ones, and stood both boots up.

From the drying room, I walked through the great hall with a dining table set for one in the middle and on into a storeroom with a hexagon shaped hole in the flagstones, and chalked arrows pointing in towards each side. I touched the sand in the bottom of it, wondering what any of it meant. "It keeps coming, Girls. Wherever I go, it follows. Why? Why does it do that?"

Clara's handwriting again, my daughter drawing the Peter Pan thing, following the leader. "Wrong question."

"Always the teacher." I sighed, smiling at the same time. "What's the right question, then?"

"Not why. What?" With a silhouette drawn at the side in Pokemon style, with big writing saying WHO'S THAT ENEMY?

What it was? What it was, was terrifying. "It's following me. Wherever I go, it's tracking me. Slowly though. Scary lurching. Scary. These screens, everywhere. It's showing me exactly where it is all the time, how far it's got, how near. Because it's trying to scare me. Putting its breath on my neck. That's the point. That's what it's doing. This is theatre. It's all about fear. Working hypothesis. I'm in a fully automated haunted house. A mechanical maze." I was in a kitchen now, a copper pan hanging up rattling softly. "It's a killer puzzle box designed to scare me to death, and I'm trapped inside it." Making me laugh, belying my fear. "Must be Christmas."

I walked out into a dark corridor, water dripping down somewhere before I opened a creaky door into the garden. The trees and shrubs look nearly dead in the near permanent shade of the tiny inner courtyard. Light starvation. The door slammed shut behind me, making me jump, as well as the bell ringing somewhere. The garden is laid out with a cogwheel design to the paths.

At the centre was an empty round bed with a recently dug rectangle in the middle, like a screwdriver slot, or a grave. I felt the quality of the worked soil, then saw a clean spade leaning against the wall. Hmmm. "Another spade? Someone wants me to dig. What do you think, Girls? Is someone trying to give me a hint? What would you do?"

"Same as you."

"What do you think, dad?" With a drawing of digging your own grave.

Well, she was my daughter. "Yes. Yes, of course you would." And picked up the spade. "Which, let's be honest, is what killed you and sent you into the arms of your biological father. So, someone is trying to tell me that there's something important buried in this garden. That's almost the first thing they tried to tell me. Could be a trick. Could be one of my predecessors. Because I'm not the first prisoner here, am I! All those skulls! Wonder where they all went wrong. Building this height, creature that slow, so what? An hour."

Then started to excavates the dug soil until one of the Veils flies buzzed my face, and ran to a window to check the screen inside. It was a view of a piece of wood with flies on it. So I, stupidly, opened the door, and the Veil was there, screeching at me. Slamming the door, I trapped its hands, until it finally withdrew them before jamming the spade under the door handle, digging its blade into the gravel path. Oh, I loved being smart, made life so much easier. "Physics of a triangle. You lose."

The door stopped shaking after a moment, signalling the Veils departure. "So? It can set traps. That's okay. I'm good at traps. You used to set one every week for me and I'd have to find it, Dumpling." I nervously checked the view on the screen, seeing the storeroom with the hexagon. "So, where are you off to? Only one way in and one way out. Well, seeing as you're going."

And retrieved the spade, jumping back into the hole to carry on digging. As night fell and crickets chirped, I got about four foot down and dog tired, so pauses to look up at the dark sky. Which made me far more confused than I already was. "No, no. That's not right."

Which was when the spade hit something, stone by the scrape. I used my hands to clear the remaining soil, making me able to read what had been carved into it. I Am. The hexagon. Flies started to buzz as I uncovered it. In 12. A fly buzzed in front of me, then the Veil jumped down into the grave-sized hole, making me fall backwards as it reaches for me.

OK, little too close for comfort, time to bow out a moment and go back when I'd thought of a way to actually escape this. "Well, that was another close one. Or it will have been, once I've been and gone and got myself out of it. So, how am I going to do that? Come on, teacher and student, ask me questions!"

The back of the girls moved aside to reveal what they had written and drawn on the blackboard. "Tell no lies." With a stern Teacher Clara frowning at a class of Year 9's. Year 9s were always the worst.

"Question 2. What did you say that made the creature stop?" With a drawing of myself and the creature doing STOP!: Hammer Time. Of course, Galaxy Kaster.

"The truth, yes. But not any old truth, Girls." I told them, reasoning it all out. "This whole place is designed to terrify me. I'm being interrogated. It's not just truth it wants. That's not enough. It's confession. I have to tell truths I've never told before. That's the only thing that stops it. You see, the problem is, Clara, GeeK, there are truths that I can never tell. Not for anything. Even more than if I'd have told you who your real father was, Dumpling. But I'm scared and I'm alone. Alone, and very, very scared." Then sat on the steps to the gallery. "I confess."

Now went back to the garden, knowing my escape. "I didn't leave Gallifrey because I was bored! That was a lie! It's always been a lie!" The Veil paused. "Not enough? You want more? I was scared! I ran because I was scared! Is that what you want me to say? Is that true enough for you? I couldn't even come back for my daughter, a little girl that I love, because she... She... Oh, my little Dumpling, why did you have to grow up?"

The Veil withdrew its hands and the castle rumbled as I climbed out of the grave to see the various floors rotating in opposite directions again. I ran inside then through to the wall on the outside of the castle, and looked out across the endless sea. A pair of skulls were dislodged from the seabed and floated to the surface, before the castle stops moving and they drifted back down again.

It's funny, the day you lose someone isn't the worst. At least you've got something to do. It's all the days they stay dead.This is how my world works, Girls. I tick off the seconds as they pass. My life is a countdown. If I draw the creature to one extreme of the castle, and I run to the other extreme, I can earn myself a maximum of eighty two minutes. Eighty two minutes to eat, sleep and work. My work is finding Room 12. The castle wants me to. It's luring me. The numbering is a bit confused, as if the rooms are all jumbled up. Maybe they move around. I saw the whole castle move, when I made the creature stop.

Every room, if I leave it long enough, reverts to its condition at the moment I arrive. It tidies up after itself. Automated room service.I think this whole place is inside a closed energy loop, constantly recycling. Or maybe I'm in Hell? That's okay. I'm not scared of Hell. It's just Heaven for bad people. But how long will I have to be here? Forever?

It's always coming. Always closer. The countdown never stops. But the countdown to what?

There are two events in everybody's life that nobody remembers. Two moments experienced by every living thing, yet no one remembers anything about them. Nobody remembers being born and nobody remembers dying.Is that why we always stare into the eye sockets of a skull?Because we're asking, what was it like? Does it hurt? Are you still scared?

This skull... What happened to them to make them die this quickly? It was only a few months old. He'd been dead for as long as I'd been here, but there were words written in the sand as well. That was the really hard to understand part. "Bird? What's bird got to do with it? Are there birds here? And this place has no heart, its hell."

The cogs started turning and the words disappeared, a piece of wall sliding away to reveal the entrance to a spiral staircase. I climbed it to the battlements of the tower, right at the very top and placed my new friend Yorick in a crenellation overlooking the infinite water around us. "There's something I'm missing, Girls, and I think it's something terrible."

Looking up at the stars, I thought about what I would do when I found them, where I would take them out there and what we could do. If I found them, if I ever escaped. Back inside the tower, I heard a door open and close, heading down some steps to find a door labelled 12. At last.

Only when I opened it, the way into the room beyond was blocked by masonry. Light streamed through the gap on the left hand side, beckoning me. Taunting me. "Hello? Hello, is there someone there? Hello!"

It's a trap, Clara. A lure and a trap.

Seeing that I wasn't getting in there any time soon, I went back up to Yorick, staring into the stars once again to try and think of a plan, think of anything that I could do to see my daughter once again. She had so little time left, ever second I was here I was risking not being there when her heart did give out. It was all I could do by this point, Missy and I holding her hands as she went, peacefully, and knowing that we loved her more than anything. "I'm following breadcrumbs laid out for me. This is somebody's game, and I can't stop playing. A game everybody else has lost. I know how to move that wall, Dumpling, so long as I don't run out of confessions. But what I really want to know is who's been playing about with the stars? They're all in the wrong places, for this time zone, anyway. I know I didn't time travel to get here. I can feel time travel. If I didn't know better, I'd say I've travelled seven thousand years into the future. But I do know better. So who moved the stars?"'

Oh, like I didn't know that you were right behind me, Pudding Brain. But I knew exactly what I wanted to know as you reached your hands around my face once again. "The Hybrid." It paused as I turned to face it. "Long before the Time War, the Time Lords knew it was coming, like a storm on the wind. There were many prophecies and stories, legends before the fact. One of them was about a creature called the Hybrid. Half Dalek, half Time Lord, the ultimate warrior. But whose side would it be on? Would it bring peace or destruction? Was it real, or a fantasy? I confess, I know the Hybrid is real. I know where it is, and what it is, and who she is. I confess, I'm afraid."

The Veil left and the castle reconfigured, rumbling shaking Yorick off the battlements and it plummeted into the sea to join all the other skulls. So down, down, down I went into Room 12, running there and opening the doors as I kept counting the seconds on my hand. The Veil was coming. It was always coming. I walked down the smooth narrow passage and put the sonic sunglasses on, but took them off when I reached the wall of crystal at the far end with the word Home carved in it. But the word disappeared after a few moments, a dark rectangular shape just able to be made out through the crystal.

"Of course. The last square on the board. What else would it be? The TARDIS. One confession away." I sighed, putting the glasses back on. "Azbantium. Four hundred times harder than diamond. Twenty feet thick. The way out." Only then I remembered. Oh, oh, oh... "Heart and Bird?" Then burst back into the TARDIS angrily, able to realise why I'd been distracting myself the weeks that I had been in here. "That's when I remember! Always then. Always then. Always exactly then! I can't keep doing this, my Girls! I can't! Why is it always me? Why is it never anybody else's turn?"

Both of them were writing now, Clara in purple while Gee, well. She always wrote in TARDIS blue. "How are you going to win??" And a drawing of a Number One Dad trophy.

I didn't deserve them, even if they were just in my head. I never deserved Galaxy Kasterborous, not when she turned out to be the opposite of what I thought. "Can't I just lose? Just this once?" Then hid under the time rotor assembly. "Easy. It would be easy. It would be so easy. Just tell them. Just tell them, whoever wants to know, all about the Hybrid. But... Oh, my tiny little Dumpling Universe." Then started to rage, not knowing what to do with myself. "I can't keep doing this. I can't! I can't always do this! It's not fair! Clara, it's just not fair! Why can't I just lose? Galaxy, oh, my baby, you're probably dead already, I just... I don't want a universe you aren't in, I've already lost you once."

"No!"

"But I can remember, Girls." I told them softly. "You don't understand, I can remember it all. Every time. And you'll still be gone. Whatever I do, you still won't be there."

Sitting down on the stairs, I just stopped, wanting it all over, for Death to welcome me into his embrace and to walk the black sands to the mountains. My sands were running out of the hourglass and soon he would be here to reap my soul. "Daddy, my daddy, you are not the only person who ever lost someone. It's the story of everybody. Get over it. Beat it. Break free." Hands touched my cheek lightly letting me see both of them in front of me. My daughter and her best friend, who was there for me my whole life.

"Doctor, it's time. Get up, off your arse, and win!"

Well, I did as I was told, hadn't you heard that before?

Standing up again in Room 12, I faced the veil as it entered the room. "Hello again. No more confessions, sorry. But I will tell you the truth." Then punched the crystal wall, crying out in pain. "The Hybrid is a very dangerous secret. A very, very dangerous secret and it needs to be kept!" Another punch, another cry of pain. "So I'm telling you nothing. Nothing at all. Instead, I'm going to do something far worse." Punch "Argh! I'm going to get out of here, and find whoever put me here in the first place, why they took my daughter away, and whatever they're trying to do, I'm going to stop it!" Punch "Argh!"

I doubled over in pain, clutching at my hand as the Veil just looked at me. "But it might take me a little while, so do you want me to tell you a story" Punch "Argh! The Brothers Grimm, lovely fellas. They're on my darts team." Punch. "Argh! According to them, there's this emperor and he asks this shepherd's boy, how many seconds in eternity?"

Which was when it's scaly hands closed around my eyes and I screamed. It melted my brain, not enough to kill me right away, but enough that I was going to die. But I was still going to explain it to the Girls. "People always get it wrong with Time Lords. We take forever to die. Even if we're too injured to regenerate, every cell in our bodies keeps trying. Dying properly can take days. That's why we like to die among our own kind. They know not to bury us early."' And started to drag myself back up the spiral staircase. "I think, in my current condition, it'll take me about a day and a half to reach the top of the tower. I think. If I'm lucky, I have a day and a half. I have to do this, Girls. It's the only way. I have to be strong. I should have known from the very beginning. Of course. The portrait of you both, the creature from my own nightmares. This place is my own bespoke torture chamber, intended for me only. And all those skulls in the water. How could there be other prisoners in my Hell? The answer, of course, is there never were any other prisoners. And the stars, they weren't in the wrong place, and I haven't time travelled."

I collapsed onto the floor of the TARDIS as I actually reached the teleport chamber room. "I've just been here a very, very long time. Every room resets. Remember I told you that? Every room reverts to its original condition. Logically, the teleporter should do the same. Teleporter. Fancy word. Just like 3D printers, really, except they break down living matter and information, and transmit it. Like that episode of Star Trek you're obsessed with and rant about whenever anyone listen, Dumpling. All you have to do is add energy. The room has reset, returned to its original condition when I arrived. That means there's a copy of me still in the hard drive. Me, exactly as I was, when I first got here, seven thousand years ago. All I have to find is some energy." And attached the power cables to my temples. This was going to hurt, but it would be worth it when I found her, found my baby girl. "And all you need for energy is something to burn."

Then took hold of the lever and pulled it down, sending power into the transporter console. When I fell to the ground, the cogs turned and the teleporter powered up, leaving me to write Bird and Heart in the dust with my last ounce of strength.

How long can I keep doing this, Girls? Burning the old me, to make a new one?

Only eventually, I got through. "And the shepherd's boy says, there's this mountain of pure diamond. It takes an hour to climb it, and an hour to go around it! Every hundred years, a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on the diamond mountain. Argh! And when the entire mountain is chiselled away, the first second of eternity will have passed! Argh! You must think that's a hell of a long time, personally, I think that's a hell of a-"

Then charged the remaining layer of crystal at the end of the twenty foot tunnel. "Aaargh!"

The Azbantium finally gave way. Bright light flooding in and the Veil exploded, cogwheels and shrouds falling to the floor. "Personally, I think that's a hell of a bird."

I walked out of the portal created by the hole in the Azbantium onto a dry planet with a golden sky. The portal closed behind me and a small round metal object fell to the ground. Of course? What else was it going to be? Hell was your own mind, after all, and this was inside of my own confession dial.

A boy ran up to me, tiny and innocent, born after the war and after the rebuild of the planet. The planet that I'd been searching for. "Go to the city. Find somebody important. Tell them I'm back. Tell them, I know what they did, I know where she is, and I'm on my way. And if they ask you who I am, tell them I came the long way round." He started to run off towards the tall metallic city with a towering Citadel at its heart, before I started to speak into my dial. "You can probably still hear me, so just between ourselves, you've got the prophecy wrong. The Hybrid is not half Dalek. Nothing is half Dalek. The Daleks would never allow that. The Hybrid destined to conquer Gallifrey and stand in its ruins-"

Then put on the sonic glasses, looking towards my home city. "Is me."


	28. Chapter TwentyEight

(I started crying while working this, and I don't often do that killing off other peoples characters. Sorry... I think I made this more painful than the Doctor... Izzi xxx)

Galaxy:

"Hi. What can I get you?"

The girl behind the counter was pretty, with big brown eyes and a brown ponytail that was perky and matched her perky, happy expression. Her little blue waitress dress was cute, if a little stereotypical, but it suited her as I took a seat at a bar seat with my sketchpad and art kit. "I don't have any money. But I draw."

She nodded, seemingly happy with basically giving me a free drink as I started to draw. "Okay." Then frowned as I just poured the ink over the paper. "Don't you dip something in and draw with it like that?"

In response, I just took a paintbrush and dipped it into the water glass she gave me, which I then started to draw with. Took ages to dry, but it looked good. "You're English."

"So are you."

"How did you get out here?"

The waitress smiled at me brightly, leaning over the bar. "Magic. Or maybe I went to an airport and caught a plane."

Right... That made sense. "Ah."

That made her laugh a little as I manage to get the basic shape of a person, wearing a blue jumper, black skinny jeans, and expressive eyes. That was what I remembered from her, someone I apparently loved. "You?"

How else? "Magic." Which was proven right when I blew softly on the ink and water drawing, the excess ink evaporating and leaving the page to be sparkly blue and the shape of the girl to be easily seen.

"I believe you. You been travelling?"

"Yeah, from time to time. With my, my dad. I, I think. I think he's meeting me here, later, I think."

Tears dripped down my face for some reason, unable to stop themselves, making the girl reach out and brush it away as they landed on the drawing to change the ink colour to deep purple instead. "Is it a sad drawing?"

Maybe? I couldn't remember. "Nothing's sad till it's over. Then everything is."

"What's it called?"

Her name... The girl that left me and took her memory with her. "I think that it's called Clara."'

"Tell me about her."

Memory:

"He's here, small one." Ohila told me as I huddled in the corner of my padded cell. "Your father is here and they're sending for him. But he won't come, will he?" I didn't speak, just stared at her with dark blue eyes furious. I'd been here weeks, hadn't spoken a word, not even to someone as harmless to me as Ohila. "Why don't you speak to us, Little Universe? The Sisters saved your life, you should trust us."

So I got to my feet, slowly and dangerously as I walked towards her and let my power be known in the air. It didn't hurt, not anymore, and it honestly filled me with such an incredible feeling to be this strong after so long. "Do you know my full name, Sister Ohila? Does anyone know it?"

"Galaxy Kaster Vi-"'

"Wrong." I replied with a short, dark laugh, even someone as old and wise as this Immortal looking scared of me. "Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. He'll come. But not for any old man. He'll come for the so called King of Gallifrey, the one who made you fix me. You didn't fix me though, not properly." And tapped lightly on the glass of my cell with my nails 1 2 3 4. 1 2 3 4. 1 2 3 4. "Because I'm broken in ways that can't be fixed and you've all woken me up. The Little Lost Universe you say, the girl so tiny and broken from birth, you think, you don't know the things that she wants to do when she gets free from this cage, oh no no no. All you've done is make me angry."

I laughed as she hurried away from the glass in fear, leaving the way she had come as I took a seat again. They trapped me, not leaving me my phone or scanner, though I could see them in the room beyond, after having tied me down and sedated me, taking out my broken and damaged human heart and putting in the hearts of a Time Lord. They took a broken and insane girl and gave her the strength that she needed to rip them apart to get her best friend back.

Eventually I heard voices again as I sang to myself softly, the madness that was always in my biological mother/fathers head awake in me now as I waited patiently. It was a madness I could control, I could lock it back up when I needed to, and I couldn't let Father see me like this, not when I needed him to free me so I could get her back. 2 weeks I'd been here, plenty of time to reach out to the Matrix and learn how dad escaped last time. "Galaxy!"

"Daddy!" I cried, madness getting thrown aside as I was genuinely happy to see him, placing my hands on the glass and banging on them as he started to take down the shield around me. "Oh, my God, you're here, you're finally here!"

"Oh yeah. And you are not getting left in there again, Dumpling." He told me, setting me free before I wrapped my arms around him, not taking no for an answer when it came to this hug. "Oh, I missed you, so much. Are you OK? Are you hurt? What about your heart?"

The General, who had refused to go anywhere near me, shook his head. "Your daughter was in cardiac arrest due to a regenerative defect causing only a single heart. We remedied this, or rather, the Sisterhood did. They wanted her, but we informed them that the, um, Terror, was your child and therefore she had to remain here. She is only a baby, after all."

"I'm not a baby! Dad!"

He shook his head, arms tight around me as I grabbed my phone and scanner, my bag still in the TARDIS with all my art things. "Just leave it, Universe."

Diner:

"Could I have a coffee?"

The waitress laughed at that. "Oh, you like a cliffhanger, don't you? So you went back to your home town-"

Well, it was a planet and technically Lucy had me on Earth, but I grew up there at least. "Something like that."

Then poured us both a coffee from the pot. I could have coffee. I hadn't had coffee since. Who was it who made me my last coffee? "Reading?"

Did I sound like I was from Reading? "Er, well, sort of Reading. Space Reading."

"And you were in a sort of psychiatric hospital there, after heart surgery. There were also some nuns who wanted to take you away to their convent."

"Wanted to, yeah." I agreed, knowing how Ohila knew I wasn't the Doctor's biological child, and as a debt to him, wanted to take me off world before everyone else found out. Funnily enough, she quickly changed her mind when she found out who my real parent was.

My waitress was still holding on to every word as I kept painting in my ink, this time drawing Ohila. I felt sorry for her now, I terrified this impossibly old immortal woman, and that was no easy feat when I was just a baby in the eyes of my people. "Is this a story or did this really happen?"

"Every story ever told really happened." I replied softly. "Stories are where memories go when they're forgotten."

Memory:

From the Council Room we watched a small craft leave the Citadel, flying off through the forcefield as I bided my time. I had to get her back, I would not take no for an answer and I wouldn't let anyone get in my way. Maybe today was the day. The day that I took my first. "Gallifrey is currently positioned at the extreme end of the time continuum, for its own protection. We're at the end of the universe, give or take a star system."

Dad just shrugged. "I know. I came the long way round."

"The President may not find anywhere to go."

"He's not the President any more." I told him, stood behind my father's chair. "He technically hasn't been the right President for a very long time because it was first my father and then Romana. Whom he had killed."

The General just looked at me. "He was a good man once. Isn't this going a little far?"

Meant nothing to either of us. "Oh, I've barely started. Tell the High Council they're on the next shuttle. Dumpling, stay here, keep the room entertained and captive. Take that how you wish."

I raised my eyebrows as he left, exercising my will just enough to keep them all from following him as I took a seat in the Presidents chair. For how many years had mother wanted this? To be in charge of a people with power and worth? How easy would it be to just take control here and now and make them bring her to me? But that was too obvious, and Ohila was still here somewhere. Had to wait until she was distracted, she maybe had the power to stop me. "'Ello Boys."

"Who exactly are you, Miss?"

"Miss? Please, call me Gee. And I am Galaxy Kasterborous. I'm his daughter, the secret one no one ever knew about." I smiled, putting my feet, gorgeous boots included, on the table. "I'm the Terror in the wind, for a few different reasons."

Gastron, who was the one that was easy to hold, looked uncomfortable, while the General wasn't yet scared. "You recovered quickly from your heart defect. Back to full strength?"

More or much more. "Better than full strength. Why keep me in the padded cell? Were you scared of me, Sir?"

"Of course not." That was far too fast for it to be true. "It was simply the best way to keep you safe and alive until your father arrived to retrieve you." Which one? Because something told me that my biological mother was likely to want me back soon, if I was at full strength. "You don't seem very grateful."

Really? I wonder why? "Perhaps because you held me down and tied me to the table? Maybe because you left me alone for days on end with no real food and an appalling shower. Maybe because you brought me here against my will after I watched-"

"Galaxy!" I stopped, seeing dad coming back, with Ohila now. "That is enough, and get out of my chair. You've got working hearts again, would have thought you'd be running, jumping and having Monster to your hearts content."

"Monster doesn't get sold on Gallifrey, funnily enough, Father." I saluted, getting up out of the chair, bored now that he'd come in and taken my toys away. "But sure thing, Mr President."

Ohila had taken the seat at the other end of the table as I took up a defensive position again, stood straight with my arms behind my back. There was only one person for the job of his protector, and it was definitely not the General. "'If you wanted to know about the Hybrid, why didn't you just ask me?"'

"If the Hybrid is a threat to the people of this world, why don't you just tell us?" Oh, they didn't know. Bless.

"What do you know already?"'

The General sat himself. "The Hybrid is a legendary-" Dad said no. "The Hybrid is a creature thought to be crossbred from two warrior races.'

He raised his eyebrows. "Which races?"

"The Daleks and the Time Lords, it is supposed."

"Moron, how is a Dalek supposed to procreate? They're a tiny squid inside a tank."

The man was a little nervous of me now, the way I was able to stand even with the long jagged surgery cut I still had healing along my sternum. "Unstoppable. According to the stories."

"If they're just stories, why are you so worried?"

Which made him hesitate again. "'Some Matrix prophecies suggest-" No. "Many prophesies suggest-" Wrong again. "All Matrix prophecies concur that this creature will one day stand in the ruins of Gallifrey. It will unravel the Web of Time and destroy a billion billion hearts to heal its own."

I felt dads conscious move to me slightly, but he pulled back again quickly and put on a front. Trying to protect me, as usual. You should probably try and protect anyone who got in my way, instead. "What colour is it?"

That threw the General. "I don't know."

"Prophecies, they never tell you anything useful, do they?"

Ohila glared at him as I tilted my head to side slightly, wondering what to do about her. It would be hard to get around her, she was immortal. Gastron was too scared to go near me, and the General, well, he was a pretty big target with a gun. But Ohila was harder. "This is no time to play the fool. We helped her, you owe us."

"She was only in danger because of you. It's the end of the universe. It's the only time I've got. And you want me to keep you all safe."

"Can you? You have chosen your new Protector, making me out of a job."

I opened my mouth first, voice soft and decisive. "I'll need help, obviously."'

He bowed his head. "Gallifrey is at your command."

You think I cared about any of you idiots? No, there was only one person I would accept help from and dad wasn't going to stop me. Mostly because I was now in his head. "Oh, not from you lot. No, you'd cramp my style. Look at your hats and the amount of red you're wearing. Red is not a good colour unless you're going to kill people, look at Deadpool. I'm going to need the use of an extraction chamber, to talk to an old friend."

I made dad agree, feeling slightly bad that I was probably going to get him in trouble after this, but I also just wanted her back. Which I got, pulling her out of her death scene just before Byrne was able to launch himself into her stomach. "'This way. I can save you."

Clara looked at the frozen raven, and the pair of us watching from behind her, then follows me through the door and into the chamber. Too white for my liking, but at least it now had her in there as well. "GeeK? Doctor?" I smiled at her, the madness going away now she was in the room with me. She kept me calm and kept me sane, the universe was safer with her in it and with me. "Where am I? Is this the TARDIS?"

"No. This is a planet."

"What planet?"

Hard topic, really. "Basically, our place."

Confusion was starting to set it. "I was about to die. I should be dead."

You were never going to die. I'd been talking to Jack, he accidentally made another immortal, we could do the same for you. "Forget about that. It doesn't matter."

"Hang on, your place?" I agreed, dad just stood there as I focussed on Clara. "What do you mean, your place?"

"Our place."

Luckily she wasn't stupid and could work it out. "You don't mean?" Oh yeah. "Gallifrey?"

Where else? "Gallifrey."

"Okay. Er, hang on, wait. What? What? Did I miss something?"

Probably, yeah. Actually, definitely. "Well, we're several billion years in the future and the universe is pretty much over, so, yeah, quite a lot."

The General now stepped forward. "Young lady, Miss Oswald, I'm afraid we only have a very few minutes with you."

"Who's he? Please tell me you haven't used it to control a whole planet."

Only a few people, and only to get you back. "'According to the Doctor and Terror, you can tell us something about the creature known as the Hybrid."

Unfortunately she was starting to feel the side affects again. "Oh. Oh, that's weird. What's wrong with my ears?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, it's weird." She frowned, putting her hands over her ears. "Everything sounds wrong."

Nothing sounded wrong. "It's a side effect."'

Clara was really struggling to catch up with it. "I can hear you. I can hear you fine. It's like, I don't know, it's like, er. It's like something's missing."'

"Terror, we have to tell her. We always tell them."

"Tell me what? What's he talking about? Why isn't your dad moving or speaking? Gee? Galaxy, what's going on?"

Oh, my perfect best friend, my sister... "Clara, there's a sound you've been living with every day of your life, but you've learned not to hear."

She frowned, confused. "What sound? What's wrong? Just tell me. Doctor, what sound?"

"Your heartbeat." I told her softly. "Your physical processes have been time looped. Frozen between one heartbeat and the next. Even your breathing is just a habit. You don't need it."

This wasn't helping, unfortunately. "If I'm frozen, how can I, how can I be walking about?"

"Because the Time Lords are very clever. It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it matters to me! What have you done? What have you done to your poor dad, Sis?"

"Miss Pratchett, we have to explain." The General told me, before doing it himself. "Although you are currently conscious and aware, in fact, you died billions of years ago."

Her breathing caught in her chest as I readied myself for the escape part of this plan. When I could run, I ran faster than anyone and they would not, could not, stop me. "GeeK??"

"We have extracted you at the very end of your time stream to request your help." He continued as I sensed where Ohila was. No where near, good. "Once we're finished here, you will be returned to your final moments. Your death is an established historical event and cannot be altered. I'm sorry."

"Gee, will you just talk to me! What the fuck have you done?!"

Not enough, not yet. "I'll try not to break your jaw." She thought that I meant her. "I wasn't talking to you." Then swung a right hook at the General, before kicking him in the bollocks and took his side arm. "I was talking to him, because I haven't finished, not yet."

"Galaxy you can't do this. You know you can't."

You wanna bet, mate? "No, General, I don't know that. Everybody, stay exactly where you are! No moving about. On pain of death, no-one take a selfie!"

He seemed shocked that the child of the Doctor could do this. "These people are unarmed."

And? "So are you."

"Galaxy Kasterborous, I will not let you leave here. That's the sidearm of the President's personal security. There isn't a stun setting. Your father is right there!"

"Do you want to know the real reason that I had a human heart, Mr General?" I asked darkly, the air in the room turning to jelly as I also felt my mother react, trying to stop me from where she was. "It's because I have a human mother. Lucy... Lucy Saxon, so do you know who that makes my biological father?"

The taps came back to me, 1 2 3 4 on the nearest metal desk as I didn't lower the gun. That gave it away and the whole room was now too afraid to breathe. "The Master. You're the child of the Master, and we saved you!"

"If it helps, I was still raised by the Doctor." I shrugged, before pulling Clara closer to me. "I will not let Clara die. You let me go with her and you will never see us again."

"'She's been dead for half the lifetime of the universe. If you tried to change that, you could fracture Time itself. Terror, Lady Protector, are you really going to take that risk?"

Clara thought that she could stop me. "GeeK. Please, I don't want this. Put it down, please. You said you could stop this, that you would never-"

Never? Never was a word you shouldn't say. "Regeneration?"

"Tenth."

Well, it wasn't killing then, was it? "Good luck."

"You too, Miss." Miss was my mother, Missy.

But then I shot him in the chest, holding Clara so tight to remind myself that she was there, that she was the reason I was doing it. "I want a neural block. Human compatible. Quickly! Come on! Oh, and cuff my father to a table." I got handed one and started to run, dragging her out with me. "Come on, quick!"

Diner:

Drawing the General now, my drawings all across the bar, telling my story. The only one not there, the one without a face, was the one the story was about. The girl who was apparently my best friend. "This Clara person, you must really like her."

Did I? "Why do you say that?"

"You killed a man. You don't seem the type."

That was the problem. Everyone was the type when someone they loved was on the line. "Am I not?"

Memory:

"You killed that man! You shot him! He's dead!"

And? Besides, he wasn't actually dead and dad would deal with him/her afterwards as I was getting too far away from him for it to keep hold. Hence the cuffs. "It was him or you."

Apparently that meant nothing to her. "I don't care!"

Well, I did. "Yeah? Well, the difference is, when you die, you stay dead."

"So does he!"'

"We're on Gallifrey." I pointed out as we got into a lift. "Death is Time Lord for man flu."

"I thought you said Gallifrey was frozen in another dimension?" She asked as we went into the Cloisters. Now for the hard part.

They were sentient beings, y'know. Well, part of them were. Probably. It had yet to be fully seen, to be honest. "Well, they must have unfrozen it and come back."

"How?"

"I didn't ask. It would make them feel clever." Then tossed away the gun that was making her uncomfortable, tying up my long blonde hair to keep it out of the way. "Happy?"

She still shook her head. "No. Tell me what a neural block is."

Not a chance, it was only a last resort. If had to use it, it was going to kill me. "Never mind. This way."

Clara never gave up though. "What did you mean, human compatible?"

Diner:

"So what was it, the thing you took?"

Something that I barely understood, given that minds were putty in my hands. "There was only one way to keep Clara safe. I had to wipe some of her memory."

"Of what?"

Of everything important in her life, so she could keep on living. "Of my father and I."

Memory:

Oh, these things were fucking creepier in person than I'd expected. "The Cloister Wraiths. Sliders, dad used to call them. Always warned me against coming down here, even if I had to run from the War. They guard the Matrix. We're safe in here."

"Why?"

"They only attack if you make any attempt to leave."

It wasn't a comfort to her. "How long are we planning to stay?"

Well, that was the hard part, actually. The Time Limit. "Or, actually, if you try to stay."

My best friend gave me the 'You are a Crazy Bitch But I Love You' look. "You realise how well that conversation went, right?"

Oh yeah. "Starting to, yeah, a bit." Then saw the path, walking carefully along it. "This way, I'm fairly sure. According to dads stories, there's a secret way out. If you find it, the Sliders let you go." Then had to grab her as a Dalek terrified her. "It's okay. It's okay, look at it."

"Exterminate me."

"Is it trapped?"

More than that. It was already in hell, everything in here was. "Don't worry, it's been neutralised. Those aren't vines. In your terms, they're fibre-optic cables, they're alive and growing. We're inside the biggest database in history. Sometimes, people are stupid enough to break in. My Auntie, the only of dads sisters that was nice, she was the Matrix Control Node, she knew all of the information in here, kept note of all the thieves." She was looking at me. "It's a database. They get filed. LizBeth was a bit anal about her files."

"Exterminate me."

That was too easy of a death for you, mate, piss off. "Probably a leftover from the Cloister Wars. There's nothing we can do. Come on."

Only Clara fell behind and I had to pull her free from a Cybus Cyberman, stomping on the head to stop it. "Keep away from them! The Matrix can use them as a defence. It means the secret exit must be close."

"What's to defend in a crypt?"

Didn't I just explain this with Auntie Liz? "It's not just a crypt. More like a stone circuit board. This is the Matrix database."

We got to a slightly bigger area, tiny bit more open and Clara stood in the middle of it. "Database? What do you mean, database?"

Wait... Yes! "Oh."

"Oh?" Then she looked down and saw where she was standing. "Oh."

I started clearing the dirt of eons with my foot, not caring about the designs on my Docs. Boots could be replaced, Clara Oswald could not. "Looks like the primary service hatch. Just have to work out the key." Then started to explain, that tiny conscience in the back of my head starting to yell at me so I tried to drown it out. Daddy... "When Time Lords die, their minds are uploaded to a thing called the Matrix. This structure, it's like a living computer. It can predict the future, generate prophecies out of algorithms, ring the Cloister bells in the event of impending catastrophe. The Sliders, they're just like the guard dogs, the firewall. Projections from inside the Matrix itself. The dead, manning the battlements."

"Was I supposed to understand any of that?"

Fair point. "The Time Lords have got a big computer made of ghosts, in a crypt, guarded by more ghosts."

"Didn't hurt, did it?"

"Tiny bit. I like big words and I am bleeding through my shirt. OK, remind me to steal a med kit as well next time, forgot that I'd just had yet more heart surgery."

Only still ignored it and started to run my fingers over the curved grooves on the floor. Come on, you remembered this... Dad told you the story. "Why would a computer need to protect itself from the people who made it?"

I shrugged, not out of breath or in pain for once, even though I'd been exercising for ages. Two hearts really were amazing. "All computers do that in the end. You wait until the internet starts. Oh, that was a war!" Then started to tell her the story dad told me. All the fairy tales he told me as a little girl, they were the adventures he was most proud of, that he enjoyed the most. "A long time ago, there was a student at the Academy. He got in here, disappeared for four days. Showed up in a completely different part of the city. Said the Sliders talked to him, they showed him the secret passage out. And we just need the code."

Getting out my storybook, one of the few things that mum had kept from when she found me running on Gallifrey, I looked through it, at the drawings by my father. "What, and the kid told you the secret? I thought that you were kept apart from others when you lived here?"

I was. "Ah, no, he didn't tell anyone anything. He went completely mad. Never right in the head again, so they say."'

"Okay, that's encouraging."'

Dad was the most encouraging man I had ever met, he always told me I could do anything I put my mind to. It was because of that that I knew I could save her. "'The last I heard, he stole the moon and the President's wife."'

That meant there was a sly smile on the dead girls face then. "Was she, er, Was she nice, the President's wife?"'

How the hell should I know? I was too busy escaping the Witch hunters. "Apparently, that was a lie put about by the Shabogans. It was the President's daughter. Plus, he didn't steal the moon, it was me who lost it."

"I'd know you and your dad anywhere."

"I was a completely different person in those days. Eccentric, a bit mad, rude to people. It was the days when I was with my father."

Her expressive brown eyes were fixed on me but I wasn't looking up. "Look at me again."

"Sorry, what?"

"In the eye. Look at me. Just do it."

"What? What is it?"

Clara's eyes... They had a way of getting the truth out of you. "Why did you not let your dad come? Your dad adores you, he was so scared when you almost died last month, GeeK. Why didn't you let him help you?"

Daddy... I'm sorry, but I saw in your head. You knew what I was going to do from the first moment you saw me and I couldn't let you stop me. You knew who and what I was, you knew from the first moment you saw me, so you knew that I could never be allowed to come down here. But I wasn't sorry, not if it meant that Clara was allowed to live on. "They put him somewhere, stuck him in a place. They."

"They what? Who? Who are we talking about?"

"They wanted something from him, to do with me. Information. It really doesn't matter."

But those dark brown eyes were still fixed on my blue. I knew where this was going, what she was going to see. "You look like her. I've never seen that before, but your eyes. They're mad, and they are wild and they are just the same as Missy's, Gee. They might even be worse."

I just shook my head, looking down again. "Well, I can't be the daughter of the Doctor all the time." And focussed on pressing parts of the grooves, getting up the clicking noises. "I think I've almost got it. I think this is it."

"Tell me what they did to your dad. Tell me what happened to the Doctor? Why don't you trust him right now?"

So I did. I told them what I saw inside his head, the story that he had been telling his version of us, the happy and loving Girls he saw us as in his head. At first, at first this was his plan, to help me get her out like this, but at the end, he knew that what he had to do was save me from myself. It wasn't down to him to stop me, he should have helped. "He was going to stop me, Clara. Twenty feet of pure diamond. Harder than diamond. They drove him to punch through it. A tiny bit at a time. But you break through anything, given time. Time was all he had."

She was still holding on to my every word, even though I would never use my power on her. "How much time?"

"Clara!"

"Stay back, Doctor."

The new female General was next to my father. "I'm sorry, but we have to find a way to extract you-"

Never argue with the teacher. "I said, stay back!" They listened before she looked back at me. "The Hybrid, what is it? What's so important your dad would fight so long? You know, I know that you know."

He didn't know that I did, but I was smart. I worked things out. "It doesn't matter what the Hybrid is. It only matters that he convinced them that he knew. Otherwise they'd have kicked him out, and undone my heart surgery. I'd have had nothing left to bargain with."

"What were you bargaining for?"

That was the most stupid fucking question I had ever heard you ask. "'What do you think? You. I had to find a way to save you. I knew it had to be the Time Lords, the moment that I realised they wanted the dial. They cost you your life on Trap Street, Clara, and I was going to make them bring you back. I just had to hang on in there for a bit, while dad spent some time getting out."

"How long? How long did your dad spend fighting for you, Galaxy?"

It wasn't me he was fighting for, it was something was already lost. My soul. "It was fine. It had nothing to do with me."

So she just turned around and asked the man himself, too far away for me to hypnotise again. "Two questions. And you will answer. Doctor, how long were you inside your confession dial and what were you fighting for?"

His grey blue eyes looked down and then back up. "Four and a half billion years. I spent every second fighting to save my daughter from herself."

The General tried to defend her actions from the previous regeneration. "He could have left any time he wanted. He just had to say what he knew. The dial would have released him. He was trying to defend the Master's daughter, for some reason."

Clara let out a small gasp of a sob as she turned back to me. "Four and a half billion years? It's you, isn't it? That's why he did it." I just looked at her. "Why would you do this? After he spent so long trying to get here and save you, to keep you safe. I was dead! I was dead and gone. Why? Why are you doing this to your poor dad?"

"I had a duty of care, because I am older and wiser. Listen, I'm nearly through here." I told her firmly, hearing the burbles and clangs. "If I'm right, there should be a service duct under here. We'll be able to get to the old workshops. They'll have TARDIS' there."

"Okay, listen. I have something I need to say."

Now? "We do not have time."

"No, my time, my time is up. Little Sister, between one heartbeat and the last is all the time I have. People like me and you, we should say things to one another, because we are family. And I'm going to say them now."

So she told me, before getting to her feet to address the people as I got through and started to run. Running running running. Always running and we would never ever stop. I would run as far as I had to, from the beginning until the very end, make them think that she was still with me if she had to leave, so long as she lived a long, happy life to die of nothing more than old age. Clara deserved better than she got, she was owed it.

When I got a TARDIS, simple and white, I went back to the right time and materialised around my best friend just as she informed my father that I had run away. He ran away as well, so it was clear that the apple never did fall far from the tree. "You were quick."

"Time machine." I reminded her, having just mopped up my stitches and changed shirt to a spare Batman one I found. My new lucky Batman shirt. "I backed up a bit."

"GALAXY KASTER!" Uh oh. "Get out here, right now, Young Lady! I know full well you can hear me! Get out of that TARDIS right now and face me!"

Oh, I was so grounded when he got his hands on me. But I went out, only putting my head out so he couldn't come too close. "Daddy, how nice to see you. Come here often?"

His face wasn't amused. I'd never see him like that, like he was... He was ashamed and disappointed in me. "You have gone too far. You have broken every code I taught you to live by."

Exactly. They were your codes, weren't they? You made them for you, so these were mine. "Dad, you can't stop me. After all she did for us both, everything that she stood for and everything that she is, don't you think that the universe owes her this? This isn't for me, its for her."

"Owes her what? All you're doing is giving her hope."

"Since when is hope a bad thing? You told me to hope we'd one day fix me and look at me now, Father."

He shrugged. "Hope is a terrible thing on the scaffold. Like hoping that you wouldn't be this. Be another creature I had to stop. Hope that you would be a person I could be proud of."

"I'm sorry, Daddy. But... It's in the blood and this blood contains more of her than you thought." Then pulled my head back in and ran to the console, dematerialising with a lying smile to my best friend and sister. "What do you think of the new wheels?"'

"Basic."

"Oh it'll be fine. Stopped by my old tower ruins and got all my paints back, my colour changing inks." I laughed, indicating my pile of supplies. I can soon fix the blank white walls." Pause for a jolt as we sped up. "Check your heartbeat again. I think that you'll find you have one."

A hopeful smile spread across her face. "Yeah?"

Oh yeah. "It should have restarted when we broke free of Gallifrey's time zone. You're alive! Now we just have to shake off the President of the Time Lords. There's only one place we can do that, because not even he will go here. What do you say to lunch, followed by breakfast? Because we're time travellers and that's how we roll. Then cocktails with Pope Benedict because I kinda owe her one. Then I'm going to invent a flying submarine. Why? Because no one ever has and it's annoying to people with sticks up their arses."

"GeeK, I still don't have a pulse."

Of course you did, you had to. Please... Don't make me lose her either way, she was the first friend I'd ever had. "Oh, you just haven't found it yet. Try again."

"I know how to take my pulse, remember how many times I had to take yours?" I felt her wrist, my new hearts thudding from fear. "Look, I know how to do it. See, no pulse, right?" I turned her around and checked the back of her neck. 000. "Is it still there? Don't lie to me."

They'd go. They had to and I was going to make sure it happened, one way or another. "Er, maybe we just have to fly a little bit further, give it a bit more welly."

"They said, your dad and the others, that if you saved me, Time would fracture. What does that mean?"

Oh, you knew dad. "'Oh, they're exaggerating. They exaggerate all the time. History will be fine. Time will heal. It always does."

She didn't look convinced. "Always?"

"'Yeah. It'll sort itself out. It'll be all right. You'll have a heartbeat."' Her expression hadn't changed. "Or don't you trust me any more?"

"No, not when you're shouting or looking madder than your mother." That hurt. "Where are we going?"

Somewhere no one dared to go. "Nowhere in space, forward in time. We're going to the last hours of the universe. We're going long past where the Time Lords were hiding. Literally, to the end. They won't be able to track us there. We'll just be there for a minute. I just need to. I need to make an adjustment."

"To what?"

Something that I hadn't wanted to use. "It's nothing, really. It's this."

My first, best and only friend looked at the tiny device in my hand. "The neural block. Human compatible, that's what you said."

Then the TARDIS time rotor stopped. "We don't have to stay here long. Er check your heartbeat again. Your timeline must have started by now. A pulse, yeah? You have a pulse, yes? Pulse? Let me do it."

"I am checking it properly!"

"This should work. This has got to work."

Only she was far too clever for her own good right now. "What if one last heartbeat is all I've got? What if Time isn't healing? What if the universe needs me to die?"

Then I would break the Paradigm if I had to! Control the universe and bring you back, change whatever I had to to save you! "The universe is over! It doesn't have a say any more! We're standing on the last ember, the last fragment of everything that ever was. As of this moment, I'm answerable to no-one!"

Which was when there were four knocks on the door.

"How can there be anybody there?" 1 2 3 4...

"Four knocks. It's always four knocks. The only reason I even exist..." But I stopped her as she went to go towards the door. "No. This one I do alone. I started this, it might be time I ended it."

Her eyes were wide and swelling. "What's out there?"

"Me." Then headed out there, the Cloisters now in ruins and falling apart as I walked towards her. "I told you once, so long ago, that the universe would become a very small place when I'm angry with you. Small enough for you yet?" Ashildr was sitting on one of two tall leather armchairs, by a small table with a chess set on it. "Hello, me."

"You don't seem surprised to see me."

"We're alike, you and I." I told her softly. "We're both too stuck up and stubborn to die. I can't sense any other minds in the universe, with how small it is now. The one and only me. Finally, you earn the title, sitting here in a reality bubble at the end of Time itself. How are you sustaining it, by the way?"

That made her look a little proud of herself. "Brilliantly. I've been watching the stars die. It was beautiful."

How could that be beautiful? I was insane and I didn't think that. "No. It was sad."

The Viking was still smiling softly. "No, it was both. But that's not something you would understand, is it? You were never told the endings to your fathers stories, because he didn't like them. She died, Galaxy. Clara died billions of years ago."

Who's fault was that? "You killed her."

"No."

"You let it happen."

Ashildr simply shook her head. "No, I didn't. Neither did you. She did. She died for who she was and who she loved. There is no one she loves more than you, you know that. She fell where she stood. It was sad, and it was beautiful. And it is over. We have no right to change who she was."

"Ashildr-" She corrected me. Sod it, there was too little time left to argue. "Me, go to hell. By my calculations, you've got about five minutes."'

Only her words stopped me as I went to go back into the TARDIS. "You know why we run, Artist?"

That wasn't my name. Art was a hobby, I was born through Terror. "Because it's fun."

She shook her head. "Because we know summer can't last forever."

Summer wasn't even my favourite month. It was Spring, the time when things healed and recovered, no matter how cold the winter. "Of course it can. Of course it can. You just have to steal a time machine."

"The Hybrid." How did she know? "Five minutes to hell. I think it's time to tell the truth. Right?" I stopped and turned back to face her. "You weren't even looking in his head for that, you just wanted to know the code to the games room. You saw the story that the Wraiths told him, and you knew. You knew that was the only reason he ever took you in, and why he was so desperate to keep you from the dark. You know full well that as the half human and half Time Lord Bastard, you are the Hybrid that is ripping apart the universe, just to keep your new hearts in tact."

My hearts? They were broken the moment they were placed in the dark abyss that was my chest. "Clara's my friend. The only one I ever had in over 100 years of life."

Ashildr nodded knowingly. "I know. And you're willing to risk all of Time and Space because you miss her. One wonders what the pair of you will get up to next."

I wish there was something else we could do. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I know I went too far. I get it. I do, really. I'm the mad bitch daughter of the Master who will go even further than she would. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing."

"And what would that be?"

The only thing left to be done. "I'm taking her back to Earth. Somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way. I'm going to wipe her memory of every last detail of dad and I. Then I'm going to turn myself in and let them lobotomise me to keep me from hurting anyone else. Maybe then dad could be proud of me, at least a tiny bit, at the end."

"That may not be what she wants."

No one wanted to forget, but usually once they have, remembering isn't the most important thing to them. "Dad's done it before. Usually, he'd do it telepathically, and I've done a tiny bit through hypnosis, but this time, I've got something better. It's quite painless."

"Will you tell her what you're going to do?"

I'd never lied to her yet. "Of course."

That surprised her a little. "When?"

No time like the present. "Now." Then went back into the TARDIS, the Viking Girl following me as I saw my best friend looking terrified. "'You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Just, you know, my pulse."

Of course I would never be so lucky. "Yeah, we'll fix that somehow. I promise. You remember Ashildr, of course." Clara agreed. "I thought you'd be more surprised to see her."

"I was watching. On the monitor." Of course you were... So the block, you knew what it did. "No. Galaxy, whatever you're about to do, don't do it."

"It won't hurt, it'll be nothing." I told her, close to tears. "You'll just pass out for a moment."

That wasn't enough for her. She wanted to be told to her face. "And then?"

It would be over. For the both of us. There was no going back from this, I gave in to the madness and now it had me. "When you wake, you'll be fine." Clara went to argue. "Sister, just listen to me."

"'Just say it. Say it. Come on. Tell me."

This hurt... It hurt so much more than a heart attack, because there were two now and they were breaking with loss. I'd rather kill myself than lose her, but it had to be done. Sometimes the only choices you had were bad ones, but you still had to choose. Oh, why did it have to be her? "'When you wake up, you will have forgotten me. You'll have forgotten you ever even met my dad too."

She shook her head. "'And why would I want that?"

You wouldn't. Nobody would. "Because it's the only way. That stuff in your head, the image of me, they could use it to find you."

Which was when she held out my scanner to me, the one that mother had given me. "I, er I used this."

Clara... "What did you do?"

"What do you think?" She smiled weakly. "We're too alike."

"Tell me what you did."

That made her laugh a little through her own fear. "What else? What else do you think I did? I reversed the polarity. Push that button, Galaxy Kaster, it will go off in your own face."

That wouldn't have worked and you know it. "You were trying to trick me?"

"What were you doing to me?"

The only thing left that I could do. "I'm trying to keep you safe."

"Why? Nobody's ever safe. I've never asked you for that, ever. These have been the best years of my life, and they are mine. Tomorrow is promised to no one, GeeK, you know that better than anyone, but I insist upon my past. I am entitled to that. It's mine."

I just wanted you safe, somewhere I could look in on you from time to time and see you happy... But of course you would never want that, would you? "Oh, Clara Oswald. What am I doing? You're right. You're always, always right."

"So what happens now?" I was looking at the block. "Hey? Me and you, what do we do now?"

"I'm not sure you managed to reverse the polarity." I told her softly, just wanting the pain to stop, one way or another. I wasn't designed for this, designed to lose people. I wasn't even supposed to be alive, I should have died a long time ago. "I'm not even sure that you can. It'll do something to one of us. Better than flipping a coin." Clara didn't understand. "You and me together. Look how far I went, for fear of losing you. The only friend I ever had. This has to stop. One of us has to go."

I put the scanner in my jeans pocket and looked at her, both of us about to cry. "You really don't know which?"

How could I? I'd never used one of these before. "Let's find out. Let's do it like we've done everything else. Together, my sister."

We both took hold of it, silent tears falling down our faces. Would this even work? Could I ever forget those eyes, the way she was the perfect model for my portraits? "How about we just don't? Why don't we just fly away somewhere?"

Letting out a laugh and a sob, I nodded. "Oh, that'd be great, wouldn't it?"

"God, yeah."

"My parents are looking for me. Mum and dad, The minute we leave here, they'll be close to finding me, either of them. Good luck, Clara."

She nodded. "Good luck, Georgia." Then we pressed the button together and it whirred for a few seconds. "So, what happens now?"

Hopefully, nothing. We could just stay here and fade out together at the end of the universe. "I suppose, we just, er, we just wait a minute, I suppose."

Clara was trying to hold back her own sobs. "And one of us, One of us will. I don't think I could ever forget you."

Darkness... I could feel it like honey wine, thick and syrupy, clouding my mind... "Clara, my dear sister, Clara, I don't think you're ever going to have to."

Dropping the neural block, I swayed slightly, leaning against the console. "No. No, GeeK!"

"Run like hell." She stared at me in shock as I slumped to the floor. "Run like hell, because you always need to. Laugh at everything, because it's always funny."

"No. Stop it. You're saying goodbye. Don't say goodbye! I've heard you say it goodbye and that was when you thought you were dying!"

How did you know that I wasn't? I never had any guarantee at life and why was it fair that I got to have a chance to when you didn't? "Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends. I need to... If, if you see my dad, and I've forgotten... T, tell him I'm sorry. Tell him that I'm more sorry than he could ever know and I'm sorry I disappointed him. I'm not the daughter he deserves and I love him so much. All I ever wanted to do was make him proud of me and I failed him instead."

There was proper sobs coming from her now. "Stop it! Stop this. Stop it! Of course you never failed him, you could never fail him, he loves you!"

What were we talking about again? It was getting so hard to stay awake, like a warm blanket after a glass of wine and a long day. "Never eat pears. They're too squishy and they always make your chin wet. That one's quite important. Write it down."

"I didn't mean to do this. I'm sorry."

You thought you did this? No, of course you didn't, you could never do anything wrong... "It's okay. It's okay. I went too far. I broke all the rules he told me. I became the Hybrid when he was trying to save me from myself. This is right. I accept it."

"I can't. There has to be something I can do."

There was only one thing that I wanted you to do. "Smile for me. Go on, Clara Oswald, one last time."

"How could I smile?"

Because you knew that I was going to be safe. That you, even at the very, very end of everything, were the one that was right. "It's okay. Don't you worry. I'll remember it. I love you, big sister."

Then the darkness covered my eyes and I knew nothing. Nothing but the comforting rhythm of the two beating hearts in my chest. 1 2 3 4. 1 2 3 4. 1 2 3 4...

Diner:

"When something goes missing, you can always recreate it by the hole it left." I told the waitress as I drew the blank face that belonged to her, a vague memory that was so hard to keep hold of, like ice that was slowly melting. "I know her name was Clara. I know we travelled together and lived together. I know that there really was Robin Hood and a mummy on the Orient Express. I know we sat together in the Cloisters and she told me something very important, but I have no idea what she said. Or what she looked like. Or how she talked. Or laughed. There's nothing there. Just nothing."

"Are you looking for her?"

Was I? There was nothing to look for, just... An echo. "I'm trying."

The Waitress smiled a little. "She could be anyone, right? You don't know who you're looking for. I mean, she could be me, for all you know."

You didn't fit. These eyes, her eyes, they always smiled and twinkled when they saw me. Yours were just full of tears from the story. "There's one thing I know about her. Just one thing. If I met her again, I would absolutely know." Then looked around at the room, the empty diner. "I think that dad was here with her, you know? No, no, that was wrong... His other friends, Amy and Rory. I never met them."

"What about your parents, hey? Have they found you yet?"

"I can feel them, but they're not in London or on Skaro any longer." I sighed, rubbing my eyes, not caring that I got colour changing ink across my face. "They're going to be disappointed in me. I never normally stay out without telling them."

She just smiled at me. "Well, maybe someone will phone your dad for you and he'll pick you up." Then picked up the pile of ink drawings, her payment for the coffee, and came out from behind the counter and headed for the door with Elvis painted on it, leaving two envelopes on the side, face down so I couldn't see who they were addressed to. Only then she paused by the door as I went to pick them up. "What Clara told you in the Cloisters-"

Words. Just empty words that weren't in the right order. "I don't remember a single thing about it."

Only... She seemed to know. "You said memories become stories when we forget them. Maybe some of them become the illustrations from them."

Yeah... If only. "That would be nice."

"Yeah, it would be, wouldn't it?"

Then she disappeared through the door before suddenly the whole diner faded away to leave me standing in the Nevada Desert and the two envelopes fluttered to the ground next to my daddy, stood beside a beautifully decorated TARDIS. "Oh, my little Dumpling..."

"Dad..." I cried, running over to hug him tight as I dropped my bag. "I'm sorry, I, I don't..."

"It's OK, it's OK... Where is she?"

"I don't... I can't remember, at all. Dad, I don't know what I did, at all, but I'm sorry, I'm so sorry and its all my fault..." I told him, before he just kissed my head and picked up the letters to see the names they were addressed to. The Doctor and Galaxy Kaster, AKA, the Artist. "But... They were from the Waitress. The one from the... There was a diner here, I was sat in there. She gave me coffee exactly how I like it."

Dad had just opened the one addressed to him and was reading it. Tears filled his own eyes by the time he got to the bottom before he hugged me tight again, like he was never going to let go and stroked my hair. "It's OK, GeeK. I promise, everything is going to be OK. You could never fail me and I'm not disappointed in you, I couldn't be. Oh, my little Dumpling..."

"D, did you see-"

"Your mum was checking the places I couldn't go. I'll let you see her, so she can check you over as well, Gee." He sighed, before running a sonic screwdriver over me, new and bright blue, and pulling me into the TARDIS. "She went mad when she felt you even stronger than her, she thought you were about to slaughter the cosmos."

"What was I going to do exactly?"

He paused, then sighed and handed me my letter. "It doesn't matter. Not anymore, Dumpling. I'll give you a moment, take out the stuff from your room, you read that."

Then headed out as I carefully opened the envelope, far thinner than his had been, because there was just a single piece of paper in there, with just a few words on there.

Run, run, you clever girl, and draw every sunset. Be an Artist, not a Terror.

Love, your big sister Clara. xxxx

On the other side was a drawing, something in my style with me there, my arms wrapped around a girl with big brown expressive eyes, shoulder length brown hair and a big smile on her lips.

Clara, my Clara...


	29. Chapter TwentyNine

Doctor:

So much for draw every sunset, my daughter had well and truly hit her teens because she was being a bit of a miserable cow and only talking to this girl Kim in Penang and Matty in Plymouth. Whom she had never actually met, and when offered to take her there, she told me that would ruin it.

Teenagers.

"TURN THE MUSIC DOWN, GALAXY!" I yelled, trying to hear myself think as I thought I heard the door knock. "NOBODY CARES IF HAYLEY WILLIAMS WANTS TO TURN IT OFF!"

It did turn down, a little, so I could open the door and look out at the funny little short man. Only caught something out of the corner of my eye. She hadn't... "Is there anything on my head?"

"Er, well, yes."

"Describe it."

He gestured on his head as the music turned off altogether and I heard heavy footsteps stomping into the console room. Well, at least she was leaving her room today. "Well, you've sort of got antlers."

You had to be kidding me. "Antlers?"

"Yes, antlers."

"Antlers! Hmm." And went back inside a moment, to yell at my spaceship, my daughter just staring at me with no clue what was going on. "You are a time-space machine. You're a vehicle! I've never asked you to cheer me up with hologrammatic antlers!" Gee flicked switch, the TARDIS making a sulky noise. "Thank you. GeeK, don't ask, but please, please, get dressed. You've been in your pjs for two weeks."'

"I wash them every 8 hours!"

"Yes, you're very clean in your depression, trying to stop me worrying, not working, so go get dressed. Jack brought you some new wigs." Which she was happy enough with and she headed off, so I went off to talk to the funny little man again. "Can I help you?"

He was looking very confused also. "Yes. Are you the surgeon?"

What was it with people getting my name wrong? "Close enough. Why?"

"Well, you know."

Clearly I didn't, or I wouldn't have asked. "I don't know."

"There's a medical emergency."

Which was when he just started to walk away from me, making me narrow my eyes at the retreated man. Right... This was a very Christmassy town, I wasn't anti Christmas per say, but I was very much anti Merry. "Will there be singing?"

"No."

Good enough for me. "Fine, then."

Then came out of the TARDIS, closing the doors behind me to follow him. Gee took about half an hour to get ready at any point, so I'd be safe to leave her for a while. "We weren't sure where you'd come down."

Eh? "Sorry?"

"In your capsule."

No one knew, she was a bit temperamental at the moment, because I was trying to update her, but Galaxy Kaster was trying to make a custom update. Apparently my daughter was winning, because she now booted up the scanner playing the Legend of Zelda chest tune. "I'm never sure. I don't like being sure about things. One minute you're sure, the next everybody turns into lizards and a piano falls on you."

The little man blinked at me. "A piano?"

This was why Galaxy was supposed to be the distraction while I pushed the piano onto the lizard machine. "It's been a long day. So what's the medical emergency?"

"Didn't you read the agreement?" Never. Far too boring. But then we were just outside the village, so he pointed to the space outside the white picket fence. "There it is."

"What?"

"There. That's it."

What were you talking about? "That's what? Oh, the flying saucer. Is that new? I just assumed that my daughter had been making models again."

A door in the saucer opened, back-lighting a figure in a white fur trimmed hooded red floor-length cloak, who walked forward down the ramp to meet them. "Come on."

"Well, you took your time."

The man bowed to her, while I just stared. Had we met before? I swore that I knew that voice. "Sorry, ma'am. This is him. This is the surgeon."

Was I? I thought that I was the Doctor. "Hello."

"You don't look much like your pictures."

"Well, that's an ongoing problem for me."

The lady really wasn't happy with me, to be honest. "Doesn't look very impressive, does he? Nardole, what have you brought to my doorstep?"

Uh, that was a bit rude, but again, that whole thing sounded very familiar. "I've had a haircut. This is my best suit."

"It's not even a suit."

Fair point. "No, but my daughter has burned half my ties, and used the others for either cosplay for San Diego or her own shirt dress things. Do I know you?"

"You most certainly do not." But then threw back the hood, making me smile brightly at my wife. Oh, of course! Who else was it going to be? "And now that you've met me, you'll do your very best to forget me."

Uh, you killed me, wasn't likely to forget that, was I? Almost destroyed all of time trying to make you do it. "River!"

Nardole glared at me. "Oi! Doctor Song to you. Sometimes Professor, but mainly Doctor."

My wife was now glaring at me. "Don't use my name. Ever. How do you know me?"

"Well, it's a tiny bit complicated. People usually need a flowchart. I had to use one to explain you to my daughter, she's back home getting dressed."

"It doesn't matter." She replied stiffly, clearly not getting it. Well, I had regenerated. "If either of you use my name again, I will remove your organs in alphabetical order. Any questions?"

Given that you were an archaeologist, yes. "Which alphabet?" Then I stopped smiling. "Sorry, you really didn't want these questions, did you?"

River didn't even reply to that, turning to lead the way back into the saucer. "This way. We don't have a lot of time."

That usually seemed to be the way, yeah. "What seems to be the problem?"

"My husband."

Yeah, I was stood next to you, love. "Your husband?"

"Didn't you read my message?" No, I didn't get one from you. "'My husband, yes. My husband is dying."

I stood still then, staring at my retreating wife, so Nardole looked at me. "Something wrong?"

Just a little. I think my wife killed me again. "I think I'm going to need a bigger flowchart."

We followed her into the main chamber of the saucer, where she made a big grand gesture of going inside. "Husband, I return to you."

Cloaked figures started to draw swords from scabbards slung across their backs, then returned them to their resting places. "Where is my queen?"

"Never far from you, my love."

"Ah." I was going to be sick.

Hydraulic servos moved, and letting me see a small male head where the neck should be on a huge red armoured figure lying on a table. Well, that was definitely compensating. "No, wait. That's your husband?"

I got another glared. "Listen, you are being watched by four billion people." Lots of screens in the walls around the chamber, showing people watching. "You are surrounded by warrior monks with sentient laser swords, genetically engineered anger problems and not enough to do. Best just stay still and keep your hands by your side."

Sorry, Doctor very, very confused. "No, wait. That's your husband?"

"My husband, your patient. King Hydroflax." When did I get the divorce papers? Fairly sure I only got them from Marilyn.

"Yes, that's who you're married to?" I asked again, really wanting to know that my wife, a woman I did honestly love and adore, hadn't decided that she didn't love me anymore. I may not have the guts to say it, but I loved River as much as I loved Libby, they were the same yet different. One worked on the Peace Committee, the other, well, she killed me. Sort of. "Not anybody else?"

"My love, attend me, woman!" Uh, you did not get to talk to her like that, she was worth far more than you were, mate.

She gave him a sarcastic glance, not that he could see and most people would think it love. "I fly to you. Is there a problem?"

Only a small one. Like the fact that I was your husband and I actually had the permission of your parents to marry you. "Right. So you don't recognise me, then?"

"Why would I recognise you?"

This was like pulling teeth. "Oh, no reason." River went to Hydroflax and caressed his armour, in a supposedly loving way as Nardole came and stood next to me, angry and crossed arms. "I don't like him. Do you like him?"

"Don't cross your arms."

Ugh, fine. "He's a lying down person. I don't like lying down people. It's so untidy. It's why I've made my daughter get up, she's been moping in bed for weeks."

"Keep your arms by your side, like she said."

I listened, reluctantly, and paid attention to what my apparent wife was telling her other husband. "My one true love. The only husband I will ever have." Oh, yeah, like that was true. Remember the Silence and how you killed me? Only Nardole nudged me and I had to uncross my arms again. "My time with you has been too short."

Her 'husband' was looking at her with adoration. "You have given me days of adventure and many nights of passion."

Uh, excuse me! "Oh, oh."

"Why do you keep crossing them?"

"Because they cross, I've got cross arms. It happens when you've got a sassy daughter."

"The end is near. I feel it."

River was acting for all her worth. Well, she was very good at it, she spent a good 15 years acting like Amy and Rory's best friend, knowing full well that she was their daughter. "Forgive me, my lord. I have acted against your instructions."

This confused him. "My love?"

She kept going, raising her voice. "If you die this day, this galaxy will drown any tears. Oh, look at them, your people! They watch and hope and pray. With so much at stake, I followed my heart. I disobeyed your orders and sent for the finest surgeon in the galaxy!"

The crowds on the screens cheered and applauded as I looked around, getting punched lightly on the arm by little Nardole. "This might be an alarming question in the circumstance, but you really do think I'm a surgeon, don't you?"

"Oh."

"Okay, calm down, keep it together. Don't make puddles. If you can, run back to my box and tell the girl inside to play Surgeon Sim and get here as fast as she can."

"Surgeon, attend your patient."

Nardole still just whimpered and looked worried. Oh, I could definitely do with Gee playing Surgeon Sim... "'Any tiny hint of species he might be?" He had no clue, brilliant. Looked human, but who knew what his brain was like. "Okay, never mind. You just stay there, before sneaking away to get my daughter, 'k?" Then looked at a monk next to us. "You're probably going to need a mop."

Heading over to the weird android bloke, who was apparently my wifes husband, I got stopped by my wife. "Bow."

"Sorry, what?"

"You are in the presence of his Infinite Majesty, King Hydroflax. You will bow."

Not a chance. "Oh, no. I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I can't do that."

The funny little man looked like he may seriously have soiled himself by now, as River stared at me. "You what?"

"It's my back." She didn't look like she believed me. Which was good as it was really a massive lie. "Yeah, my back's playing up. It simply refuses to carry the weight of an entirely pointless stratum of society who contribute nothing of worth to the world and crush the hopes and dreams of working people."

"Can you save me, Surgeon?"

Probs not, but lets give it a stab, eh? Oh, I'd been playing too many horror games with GeeK. "Well, that depends upon what's wrong with you."'

My wife, who was getting close to slapping me, was getting very peeved. "There's something in his brain."

Really? He had one? "You could have fooled me." The Robot Android thing was getting very angry, so River placated him by massaging his face vigorously. "Oh, oh, sorry. Sorry, just gallows humour." Ah, right. "Probably the wrong word."

Nardole nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I would say it is."

"My love, you must rest. The surgeon and I will discuss the procedure. Prepare, master of my life, to live anew." And planted a long sloppy kiss on his shiny, sweaty forehead. "Patience be with you all. Our King will rise again!"

Which everyone, including Nardole, chanted as she gestured for me to follow her out of the chamber. "All right, enough of this. The joke's over."

"What joke?"

"Look at me." This was really getting rather embarrassing.

"Why?"

Because you should have been able to tell by now. God, this was like pulling teeth. "I'm the Doctor."

She didn't understand. "You'd better be, you've got an operation to perform. And why do you keep talking about your daughter?" Because I had to be back to make sure she actually got dressed soon? But River just pulled up a massive hologram of the morons head. "Here's the entry wound, just below the hairline. And there's the projectile. It should have killed him straight off, but he's very strong."

That was a very strange shape. "It's not a bullet."

"It's a diamond."

Well, the rich die rich. "How did it get in there?"

"At speed." Well, obviously. Using the sonic, I looked at just how fast it must have gone, but then had to stop and stare. "Do you recognise it?"

"No!"'

"Yes."

Oh, definitely needed GeeK right now, she'd get that thing out no problem and then have to stop her mum trying to nick it. "The Halassi Androvar."

River nodded with a smile. "The very same. Hydroflax was leading a raid on the Halassi vaults. In the ensuing fire-fight, the whole thing blew up in his face, with the result that he now has the most valuable diamond in the universe lodged three inches inside his enormous head." I made the image of the diamond bigger, looking at the exact shape. "So, can you remove it?"

Maybe? The shape, it was slightly different to most diamonds, that was the problem. "It's very small. It might be difficult to manoeuvre it."

"Not the diamond. His head." I had to take the glasses off and stare at my wife. What? "Yes. I think it would be easier just to remove the whole thing, don't you?"

"Wouldn't that kill him?"

"You're the medical expert, but I'd say so, yes."

What happened to not killing the people you married? Or did Stormcage not release you fully rehabilitated? "Your husband?"

"Sort of." And what did that mean? "I basically married the diamond. The Halassi want their diamond back, so they came to me."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I'm an archaeologist."

That was definitely not all you were, I'd known you since you were born, Melody Pond. "Slash murderer slash thief."

"An archaeologist is just a thief. With patience." And emptied a zippered bag, throwing out a red fez and a bronze plate. Well, sure, burn the fez, but that was a perfectly good plate. "Never had much of that. It'll fit in here, don't you think? I've checked it for leaks."

My wife was potentially more bonkers than I was. "Is this what you're like when I'm not-" She still had no idea who the hell I was. Glad to be memorable. "You're talking about murdering someone."

"No, I'm not. I'm actually murdering someone." Yeah, she was definitely crazier than me, but she was a woman. Look at Gee. "Cheer up, get a saw, I'll kill the lights, you kill the patient. I employed you. You agreed to this. Do you not know who that man is? King Hydroflax, the butcher of the Bone Meadows, who ends his battles by eating his enemies, dead or alive. The murder of a creature like that wouldn't weigh heavily on my conscience, even if I had one." Oh, what to do? I couldn't just come out and tell her, she probably wouldn't believe me, and we'd probably get ourselves killed in the escape and then we'd leave my daughter alone with the TARDIS and not much else to do but attend every single comic con in history and spend her savings account. "What's that face? Are you thinking? Stop it. You're a man, it looks weird." Oh, thanks.

"I need more information." River still didn't understand. "'For my diagnosis."'

The crazy woman just shrugged. "'He's dying. We're about to steal his head and scoop out his brains. Aren't we over-thinking?"

Uhm, no, no we weren't. "'I'll be the judge of that. I'm the Doctor."

"You know who you remind me of?"

Funnily enough... "Yes, probably a chap with a big-'

"My second wife." Only before I could complain about that, the hologram was replaced by the real head, and the monks with him drew their swords. Brilliant. "Darling! You're up and about!"

"False wife!" Basically. She'd been married to me since she was 30, you were the other man here.

She was trying to dig herself out of the hole. "How much better you're looking!"

Unfortunately, he didn't buy it. "You plan to take my head."

"Never crossed my mind. Is this your bag?"

I was thrown it as Hydroflax glared at the both of us. "Perhaps you should have just asked."

Hydroflax's three-fingered right hand turned his head to the side then pulled it off its attachment and lowered it onto the table, then the body stomped two paces back. "'Well! I wondered why we didn't share a bathroom."

Ha! "You married a cyborg and you didn't even know it."

"I'll have you flogged and flayed and burnt. I will crush every last remnant of you from this universe.

"How dare you! I'm your wife."

"You planned to murder me!" If it was any consolation, she did murder me.

"Don't change the subject."

The man was still glaring at her. "Why are you doing this? Who are you?"'

My wife was prepared with a mini speech. I did teach her well at least. "I'm Professor River Song. You have an ancient artefact of great value to good people, and whatever it takes, I'm going to bring it home to them. You have stolen so much from so many, King Hydroflax, and I'm the woman who's going to steal it all back."

"What are you?!"

"I'm an archaeologist. Look! I've got a trowel." And pulled one form her tool belt, which whirred as it zapped the monks swords and attacked the body part of Hydroflax. "Ha, ha, ha!"

I took this time to help, by picking up the head. "Do not harm her! If you know what's good for you, do not lay a finger on that woman."

He wasn't particularly bothered by me. "Ignore him. Attack!"

River kept on using her sonic trowel on the cyborg while I opened the chute on the wall. "Garbage disposal, right? Get ready to say whee!" He didn't like that. "Back off from River Song. Give the order now. Get yourself under control."

There wasn't much alternative. "Do not attack the female."

She ran to my side, grabbing the bag, and pointed her trowel at Hydroflax's head. "Nobody move, or the head gets it."

This was honestly getting very embarrassing. "Do you really have a shooty trowel?"

"It's sonic."

And it was even worse. "Sonic trowel. You realise how ridiculous that sounds?"

"Their threats are empty. Destroy them!" The Cyborg part then spoke by itself, able to tell that there was a good chance of tissue damage. "Do as you're told!"

"Decision overruled. Recommendation, chill."

I needed to get my daughter to do that. "Look at that, your body's got a mind of its own."

"More like an onboard computer for the cybernetic component."

"Plus in-built flash drive and vernacular friendly interface."

"Cyber co-pilot."

"Mobile life support."

"Sexy."

Uh, excuse you, you were in enough trouble. "It's not sexy."

She wasn't bothered. "Absolutely sexy."

"Why is everything sexy now?"

Apparently that reminded her of something. "Speaking of which." And used a wrist comms on her Vortex Manipulator. "Ramone, prep for emergency extraction. Two to go."

"Standing by for teleport."

"Put it in the bag." I blinked at her. "The head. Put it in the bag." Of course the head started to argue. "Quickly, do it. Ramone, twenty seconds to jump."

Hydroflax was getting very shirty. It was his own fault, he detached the head. "I will not be placed into a bag!"

Yeah, you were going in there either way. "Stop shouting a minute if you want to go face-up."

Then dropped him in, still complaining. "Oh, zip it!" I did up the bag. "Try to follow me and I'll put him in a blender. Ramone, now."

Only then we were teleported about 2 feet above the ground, so fell to the snowy ground with a bump. "Ramone! Just once, can you get the height right?"'

"Sorry, Professor."

"When I escape, I will bring terror to you and your family. There is no escape from the-"

That was hilarious. All I could see was the bag moving and an angry voice. Ha! "Home in on my signal. Get a shift on. Can you locate the Damsel?"

"I'm on it. The capsule is really close, with a life sign inside, two hearts."

River now saw that I was in hysterics. "Is something funny?"

This only made the head worse. "'Who dares laugh at Hydroflax? You shall be crushed! You shall scream in fear! Let me out of this bag!"

"This is a serious mission in a critical phase. There is nothing to laugh about here."

Oh, if only Galaxy were here to see this. "We're being threatened by a bag! By a head in a bag!"

"I shall make dust of you. My enemies are meat for the devouring!"

"I can't approve of any of this, you know, but I haven't laughed in a long time. My daughter, she was sick, her heart was failing. Even now, when she's better, her heads not right so I'm trying to look after er, but it's hard. This is the first time I've been out in a year."'

That threw her a little, looking a little sorry for me, but slightly amused by the bag as well now. "Well, good for you."

Hydro was still going. "Prepare to die in agony and submit to my supremacy! Unzip this bag!"

Now she was laughing with me, the first time I'd really, truly laughed since Clara left. Her note... Gee tried to save her, knowing full well that the Time Lords were going to lobotomise her the moment she stepped back of Gallifreyan soil, but tried anyway. She thought that she'd failed me, but she tried to do right by me in the end. Now if only I could get my so called wife to do the same. "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?"

Oh, come on, River. "Stop pretending. You know who I am."

"Who are you?"

"You know who I am. It's, it's, it's me."

Her beautiful face was still just laughing. "Great. Who are you?"

Now a dark haired beardy man came running up. Nope, no beards, I was against beards. Where was Nardole, he didn't have any hair! "Professor Song! Sorry, Professor. Sorry about the height thing."

"Prove it."

Then kissed him long and hard. Uh, excuse you! "Urgh! Doesn't it get dull after a while? As an activity, it's not hugely varied, is it?"

"I'm so sorry. This is my husband, Ramone."

"Another one? Are you going to kill him, too?" That would make it three for three so far.

Ramone shook his head. "We're not actually married."

River gave a knowing smile. "Ah, we are, in fact. I wiped it from your memory."

"Why?"

"Well, you were being annoying." So were you right now. "So, the Damsel. Do we have a fix?"

He shook his head. "Found the capsule just over in the village, but I can't locate Damsel. The life sign is female, and not of his genetic code that you gave me. I've looked everywhere."

Right... Who were we looking for now? "Who's Damsel?"

"Have you been thorough? It's not easy, you know. He does have twelve faces."

So he took out a wallet and a sheaf of photograph dropped down to let me look through. Yup, she was looking for me. "None of these men are here. Are you sure it's one of these?"

"'Yes! He only has these twelve faces. He'll be around here somewhere. This is the closest intersection with the Doctor's timeline." Dammit, it ended with Dickie Bow, the last one. "That's why I crashed Hydroflax's ship here."

Wait a moment, what was that name again? "Damsel."

"Codename, Damsel in Distress." You had to be kidding me. "Apparently, he needs a lot of rescuing."

"What if he has a face that you don't know about yet?"

River rolled her eyes. "He has limits. Well, then, let's go find him."

So they set off in front as I brought up the rear, left carrying the rather heavy head of a Cyborg monarch. "What if we can't find him? We need to get you off-world now."

"Off-world. People never say that." I laughed, looking at the moron. "Are you new?"

"We can't hang around waiting. He could be ages."

This was very true, I mean, it was taking you ages to work out who I was. "'Yes, he's probably off rebuilding a civilisation or defeating giant robot fish-"

Which was when we got to the TARDIS, music blaring again. "We'll just have to steal it."

"-From the ninth dimension." Hold the phone. "Sorry, what?"

"The hopper is really close. We would be out of here in less than ten minutes."

River was adamant though. "I need time travel. I need this TARDIS."

This was not happening. "I'm sorry. The word steal. Somebody said steal."

"Yes. We're going to steal this box. Hush, you wouldn't understand."

Yes I bloody well would! My daughter was in there! "You can't. There's someone inside! You can't just steal a TA. A box."

"Why not?"

"Look, it says Police. There's someone inside listening to Ed Sheeran." There was a strange musician, why did he have ketchup tattooed on himself and cat called Dorito? And why did I know all this?

Only she just produced a Yale key to open the door. Of course Amy left the key to her, I knew that one anywhere. "I have a key."

This was really not going end well. "Okay. This er Damsel person. He sounds, he sounds pretty dangerous. Ish. And the girl inside could be too." She definitely would be, if she was in the shower still, the hot water would go cold went you went into flight.

My wife shrugged again. "It's a time machine. I can take it, do whatever I want for as long as I like and pop it back a second later. He'll never know it was gone. Plus, most companions never notice, Sarah Jane never did, nor Martha."

I would be having a word with both of them. "Yes, he will, and how do you know that this one is a companion?"

"Well, he's never noticed before. And all the girls in the TARDIS have been companions."

Romana, your mother and Gee were going to slap you. "Maybe he'll notice now."

That only made her laugh, before kissing her other so called husband. "I'll see you on Temple Beach. I've already picked out your swimwear."

"Okay, but be careful."

Which offended her. Good girl. "Absolutely not. You, with me. Bring the head." What else was I going to do with it?

"Please, look after her for me."

Ramone started to walk away as Drunk stopped blaring from my box, before stopping as River stuck her head back out. "Oh, before you come in, you'd better prepare yourself for a shock. It's not as snug as it looks."

Oh, my God.

Yes!

"Finally." The other man frowned at me. "It's my go." Then went inside, pretending to marvel at the interior of my home. "Oh. My, God! Oh, it's bigger!"

"Well, yes."

"On the inside,-"

"We need to concentrate."'

"-Than it is-"'

"I know where you're going with this, but I need you to calm down."

"On the outside!"

"You've certainly grasped the essentials."

Well, no duh, River, it was my TARDIS, you were just taking a small millennia to catch up. "My entire understanding of physical space has been transformed! Three-dimensional Euclidean geometry has been torn up, thrown in the air and snogged to death! My grasp of the universal constants of physical reality has been changed forever."

At which point my daughter appeared, holding a gun and moved so fast to hold it to River's head that neither of us could stop her. Apparently, she'd been playing Infamous: Second Son again, because it was with bright blue neon. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in the TARDIS?"

"She's my mother, my second mother. My name is River Song, the Doctor may have mentioned me." She replied quickly, knowing that she had no idea on how to get out of the hold she was in. My daughter was nothing if not good at self defence. "I'm borrowing the TARDIS, I'm allowed to do so."

She looked at me, went to open her mouth but I gave her a quick cut throat no motion so she didn't blow my cover. Luckily, she understood. "You're is wife?"

"Yes. Yes, that's me. Care to take the gun away?"

Gee looked like she had forgotten she was holding it. "Oh, this? Yeah, it's a prop. Some random gave it to me for a kiss at a convention the other week. Not real. Sorry, but you never know who people are when they randomly turn up and you're in your underwear. Nice to meet you, River, I'm Galaxy Kasterborous." Now my wife was staring at her. "What?"

"You're his daughter."

"Well noticed." Then went down the stairs, her red wig very dark compared to her usual blonde. "Want a drink? He's not here, so I get to do what I want."

River laughed now, following her as I watched carefully. What the hell was my daughter up to? "You found where I keep Aldebaran brandy. Help yourself, but don't tell your Dad. He doesn't exactly like booze. How did you get off Gallifrey?"

Gee winked. "Story for another time, because I'm more curious about the other random who is holding a beeping bag that has brainwaves coming from it."

Oh, good point. Hydroflax was now unconscious, so it was a half simpler life without him yelling at us. "It seems to have powered down, conserving batteries. It's an in-built life-support system. I'm not sure what powers it, but-"

"I really don't care. What's that noise? My head already hurts, and that is not helping me."

"I don't know. A signal? Distress call?"

My wife and daughter spoke together. "Homing beacon."

Most likely. "Possibly."

"So the rest of him is coming?"

"Rest of who? GeeK very confused right now, because GeeK hasn't left the TARDIS in a while."

We weren't looking at her, which was making her annoyed. She was either sad, angry or flirty recently, there was no inbetween. "He must be very cross. He's lost his head."

"Time we were off, then."

River activated the time engines, which briefly juddered then make sick noises. Really? "You're doing it wrong."

She gave me an affronted look. "I am certainly not."

Yes, you certainly were. "Not those levers." She tried to hush me. "You probably want to press that button."

"Moron, that is literally just going to empty deck 7s waste tanks, next to my art studio." Galaxy! "My dad does it all the time, he's a moron. My mum taught me how to fly her TARDIS, and there is something interfering with this. It shouldn't be possible."

Oh... I had it. "Maybe." They were both looking at me. My daughter was grounded, she was teaming up against me with her stepmum. "Maybe the engines are interfering with themselves. Wild theory, but what if this machine had certain safeguards. For instance, maybe it can't take off when a life form registers as being both inside and outside at the same time?"

River understood. "Head and body."

Yes. "Which would mean, and again, I'm just, I'm just wildly theorising here, that's the door would not engage properly."

"It can't seal the real-time envelope." Galaxy had clearly gone into my head to learn what was happening, reminding me that I needed to put my walls back up. It was almost Christmas, I didn't want her to know I got her a Switch with Breath of the Wild. "Hence it can't take off. Not when someone is in and out at the same time. I did that with Jack once, he blew up and I accidentally left one of his hands outside because I didn't see it."

"You're a very strange young lady."

"Well noticed. I'm the Terror/Artist, depending on what mood I'm in, and if I ever feel like painting." She shrugged, fixing her hat and wig. I knew they would get on far too well for Stepmother and Daughter. But then she grabbed the head from the bag, holding it by the hair like a shrunken head or something. "It's signalling. We have to assume the body is homing in on this."

"So, how do we stop it?"

Oh, I could not resist. "Well, we could chop its head off. Oh, look."

River glared at me, while GeeK just looked embarrassed. "'Does sarcasm help?"

I wished, my life would be far simpler. "Wouldn't it be a great universe if it did?"

"So, summing up. It's coming, we can't take off, we can't seal the doors." I agreed with my daughter. "So we just kill the head, right?"

Then aimed the scanner at the head in her hand, the heat ray clearly turned back on. "You can't shoot the head in the face!"'

"Why not? This is Hydroflax, right? He's tried to hit on me before, very embarrassing." Then yelped and dropped him as he woke up and made a noise. "Fucking bustard. Watch it mate or I'll use you as a football."

Wouldn't be the first time to be honest. "Go on, then, tell him to put his hands up."'

"Do not fire if you value your lives."

Gee was still going to fire, so I had to take it off her. Clara really held her together... "Why, what are you going to do?"

"Kill me, and my body will burn."

"Burn baby burn, disco inferno? I think he means the planet." Gee sighed, rubbing her eyes wearily. "And I also know that he at least believes it."

Which made River lift up the head and put it on the console so he could grin at us. "Suppose we believe you. How?"

This was something he was revelling in. "My body contains a split quantum actualiser."

I did not like this at all. "A perpetually stabilised black hole. That's your power source."

My wife blinked at me. "What sort of medical school did you go to? I understand my stepdaughter being smart, her dad is Damsel." Galaxy Kaster snorted at that. "Like it?"

"Oh yeah. And its probably a really good one for Doctors."

Thank you, love. "Exactly."

"It's more than a power source. If necessary, a bomb."

My daughter folded her arms. "So you could wipe out this solar system."

"It wouldn't be the first."

"It would be your last."

"A fitting end for the glory of Hydroflax. And the daughter of the great Mistress."

Gee put her finger up at him. "Piss of, knob breath. Why haven't you threatened this before?"

He would have shrugged if he had shoulders. "A king does not endanger his people for no reason."

You were no king to us. "You're endangering them now."

"'I'm cross."

"Can I-"

River and I both knew what she was going to say. "No!"

Then banging came to the TARDIS door, Ramones voice coming through. "Doctor Song, are you there? I have a message for you."

"Ramone! Get in here!" Only it was the Cyborg that kicked the doors open. "Ah!"

"You're going to die!"

It stomped inside and grabbed River, lifting her off the floor. "Hey! Oh, I wish I played fucking Biohazard!" Galaxy grumbled, using her new Neon power to try and beat up the Cyborg. "Balls to it."

Hydroflax was rooting for his Cyborg part. "Kill the females."

Not a chance. "Put her down. Gee, come on!"

"Close the fucking doors, moron!" She yelled, before climbing on top of the Cyborg to try hacking it instead. "Let go of Mummy No'5! Stupid sentient tech!"

I dodged past the Cyborg and closed the TARDIS doors, letting the time engines start shake us around before my daughter got the arm to drop River. "Stop them! Stop them!"

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here!" She snapped, grabbing her bag before my arm. "Get the hell out!"

Not just yet dear, mummy and daddy were talking. "You set the coordinates, River. Where for?"

Neither of them were listening to me. "'Just get the damn head!" Then threw me the bag, letting me scoop up the head, then throw it back to her. "With me. Come on, Galaxy, your dad will kill me if I let you get hurt."

Then pulled us both out by the hand, my daughter listening to her. Why did she always listen to her mothers and never to her father? "Where are we?"

"This way, come on."

"What about the box?" I asked, pointing back at the TARDIS. "Stop holding my hand, people don't do that to me."

She gave me a withering look. "Hush now."

I was not going to hush! "Don't hush me. I'm not a hushing person."

Then lead us out into a marble floored place with aliens in dinner jackets and posh frocks. Two long staircases ran up the outer hull to the upper decks, River turning and closes the doors behind them. "Oh, I remember this place."

"You've been here before?"

Galaxy nodded at River. "Yeah, with my mum, Missy. Another long story, I'll explain later."'

At which point an upright biped with blue scales and a pair of catfish-like barbels walks up to them. "Ah, Doctor Song. Your table is ready. And Miss Masters, how pleasant to see you once again." Her last name was Pratchett.

"Flemming!" My wife smiled brightly. "How are the twins?"

"Still digesting their mother, thank you for asking."

River gave him a forced smile, though I only knew that because Gee muttered it in my head. "I'm sure it was a lovely ceremony."'

He nodded. "Oh, there were tears. And just a hint of screaming." I'll bet.

Galaxy gave him a smile now, her eyes darkening like her mothers. "Er, Flemming, I wonder, could you deadlock seal the baggage hold for me?"

"It's a little irregular. The other passengers might want access."

"Do you remember that time my mother and I were transporting dragon eggs?"'

Apparently that was enough. "Consider it done." The light by the door lock turned from green to red with a clunk. "Is the gentleman here for dinner?"

What else was I here for? "Yes, he is."

"Excellent! I'll have the chef prepare him immediately."

Wrong context of here for dinner. "No, you won't."

Both of the girls were trying to defuse that. "Er, he will in fact be joining us to eat. Charge it to my mothers account, it's a Christmas present for me."'

Flemming was still looking me up and down. "I was about to suggest that force-feeding might be required. This way. Oh, may I take your bags?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no. That's fine, thanks."

"You know my bag always stays with me." That was true. A coat attendant tried to take it once and she decked them.

Only Hydroflax had now decided that he was going to speak up. "Sorry. It was my stomach. I have an irritable bowel." It was the usual stuff, merciless revenge, devouring us, the works. "It's having a day."

He didn't look like he bought it, but went with it anyway. "This way."

River then thrust the bag at me again with a smile. "I don't suppose you mind if I freshen up." Then squirted something on herself, golden energy doing a thing with her hair and her dress changed into a silver sequinned bodice. "Not bad for two hundred, eh?" Wait, what? How old was she now? "I have an augmented lifespan. Long story."

"Mind if I borrow that?" My daughter asked, taking off the wig and hat quickly, shoving it in the bag.

"Go for it. It dresses you to the place, it would be nice to see what you end up in."

So she then squirted herself as well, her jeans and jumper becoming a beautiful galaxy print halterneck dress that went to her knees and a pair of silver stilettos. "I'm literally wearing my name. Fuck sake, I was hoping for something Amy Lee style."

We were both thinking that she looked lovely though, long blonde hair straight around her face. "This suits you." I told her, getting a shy smile from her before we were shown through into the dining room. "So, what's the occasion?"

"I've got the diamond. Now it's time to sell it."

Uh, that didn't belong to anyone but the planet it was taken from. "I thought you were returning it to the Halassi?"

That just made her roll her eyes. "Tell me, were you born boring, or did you have to work at it?"

Gee, who had somehow found a glass of champagne, raised a pale blonde eyebrow. "Where did you find a buyer?"

"Look around you. The starship Harmony And Redemption, minimum ticket price one billion credits, plus the provable murder of multiple innocent life forms. Suites are reserved for planet-burners. I think your mother owns the majority of the penthouse, including the Galaxy Suite, named after yourself, I believe." Then took a glass of wine from a waiter herself. "Thank you. Even the staff are required to have a verifiable history of indiscriminate slaughter. This is where genocide comes to kick back and relax. Do try the fish."

Galaxy smiled at that, drinking the alcoholic beverage, something I couldn't complain at now, not since her two hearts were perfectly compatible with her system. But she started to play her PS Vita while River read. Which I frowned at, because surely she knew that we were on a time limit here. "Why are you frowning?"

Neither of you were paying attention! How were you already speaking in unison?! "How did you know?"

"It's audible." Thanks.

"Deadlock seals can be broken."

River rolled her eyes. "By geniuses. Hydroflax has a brain the size of a pea and it's currently under the table." Then kicked the bag for good measure. "He's gone back to sleep, I think."

Yeah, still with you. "You married him, though."

My daughter snorted on her drink, coughing to the side in shock. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I told you, I married the diamond. Don't worry, Galaxy Kaster."

"I've never done as I'm told. How?"

She shrugged at her stepdaughter. "I posed as his nurse. Took me a week."

Was that all? "To fall in love?"

That book... The diary was in her hand... "It's the easiest lie you can tell a man. They'll automatically believe any story they're the hero of. From what I've heard, the great Terror has done it many a time to get what she wanted. Something tells me that this time the mother learned from the daughter."

Galaxy now looked between us, uncomfortable in her lovely frock. "River, there's er, there's something I should probably tell you, about my dad-"

Only a humanoid waitress came over. "Doctor Song, your guest has docked. He should be with you in a very few minutes."

"Thank you. Whenever he's ready."

"Of course."

Gee put her scanner and PS Vita on the table then, looking at the deep blue book. I hadn't told her about that, about everything we'd done or the diaries we had. River knew everything about me, I'd told her it all, even about her, and chances were, it was written down in there. "What's the book?"

She smiled like it was some big secret. We all knew what it was, but none of us knew what was inside it. "Oh, it's my diary." Then channelled Oscar Wilde. "One should always have something sensational to read on a spaceship."

But my daughter was incredible at knowing people, when she wanted to. Hypnosis and mind control, in the hands of the right person, could do more help than harm. "Is it sad?"

"Why would a diary be sad?"

"Because you're looking at it and you're sad, Mother No'5."

"It's nearly full." Galaxy didn't understand, I hadn't told her anything. I never expected them to actually get the chance to meet. "When your dad gave me this, he was the sort of man who'd know exactly how long a diary you were going to need." Her hand went to her mouth in shock, working it out. "Don't tell him anything, please. You know, I used to listen to stories of his when I stayed with him, on those rare, wonderful nights. Stories of how much he loved his two beautiful children, Tyler and Galaxy Kaster. It made me jealous. He had children and I never got the chance to."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Now that I know I have a stepdaughter, I'm going to have to make sure I spend as much time with you as possible." She smiled brightly, eyes twinkling with both happy and sad tears as she put the diary back into her clutch purse. "Your dad is pretty special, and terribly useful every now and then."

River, there was no one more special in the universe to me than you and my daughter. I was nothing without the two of you. But you were still in a lot of trouble after this, because of your apparent many husbands. "So, who is this buyer?"

She shrugged. Everyone did that a lot, didn't they? "No idea, he just responded to the advert."

A shadow fell across the table table then, a bald man with a diagonal scar running around his face from the back of his skull, round across the right temple to below his left cheek bone standing over us. His voice was a pony. Wait, no, it was a little hoarse, always got those confused. "Which of you is Song?"

My daughter raised her eyebrows, blue Neon glowing in her palms. "Who wants to know? Isn't Mufasa in need of throwing off a cliff?" Oh, I got that one! Because, because he had a scar!

"I am Scratch."

"Don't need your name." River informed him sternly. "Are you empowered to purchase?"

Scratch bowed his head slightly. "I represent the Shoal of the Winter Harmony."

Again, it was too much information for my Bounty Hunter wife. "Don't care. Don't want to know. I'll need immediate payment. Can you do that?"

There was something else that he could definitely do. "And could you either sit down or fetch us the wine list or something?"

So he chose sitting, my daughter keeping her dark blue eyes trained on him. "You have the diamond?"

"Of course I have the diamond. Show us the money."

Scratch ran his finger along his scar and something unlocked. Then he pulled his head open with a squelch. Charming. "Just a thought, you probably shouldn't do that in a restaurant. Gee looks a bit sick." Then she kicked me. "Ow!"

He removed a metal globe from the grey contents of his skull, and placed it in the napkin River held out, thin strands of gunk still attached to it, then close up his head again. "Once instructed, this will transfer the necessary funds to whatever account you choose." They thanked him. Apparently, this had become a new team of River and Galaxy, and I was only here to carry things. "The diamond."'

River put the bag on the table. "You're going to have to dig for it a bit, but somehow I don't think that's going to be a problem for you."

"Is this a deception?"

Galaxy got to her feet with him, the air in the room turning to jelly as she exercised her power on him. "No. The diamond is in there. This is a public place, there won't be any tricks. Now sit back down or I will close this deal early. I don't care about my name being known, I'm Galaxy Kasterborous Masters. I believe you know my mother?"

"This is not a public place, Hell Spawn."

All the other diners were his kind as well. "Block booking. That's clever. Sit down, Miss Masters."

She didn't listen as River tried to defuse the situation. "You needn't have bothered. I've brought what you want. I have also taken precautions, and please don't do anything that might make us cross and kill you."

"Statement accepted." And he sat back down. "The diamond is here?"

The other diners all hissed, my daughter reluctantly sitting and keeping her hand near to her scanner. "The payment, then."

My wife handed the globe to Scratch again, who opened it and tapped various illuminated buttons. "One hundred billion credits, as we agreed." Then passed it back to River, who checked it. "This accesses all the banks in the galaxy."

River pulled down Galaxy's hand as she went to ask why she was mentioned, and kept going. My daughter was getting restless, she could tell she was outnumbered and wanted to get out and plan revenge. "Thank you. Here you go, then. You may need to use a spoon or knitting needle or something."

"Be it known, we do not do this for ourselves." Neither of them cared. "We do it in honour of our distant and loving King, who once visited our world in blood and joy."

GeeK gave a crude smile. "Well, isn't that lovely?"

Only the fan was really blowing horrible stuff as they started to unzip the bag. "We honour thee, we prostrate ourselves in your name, Hydroflax." They all chorused it as we paused. "For love of thee, we do this thing today. Hydroflax." They all stood and chanted it, River zipping up the bag again. "Give it. Give us the treasure." We didn't move, but GeeK had moved her hand ever so slightly closer to the thing. "What is wrong?"

"Er, well, er. Awkward."

"Why do you delay? We have paid, we will receive."

I stood up quickly and took the bag. "Yes, you will. Of, by jingo, you will, yes, of course. But obviously, we have to, you know, er, check some-"

"Things."

Yes, I knew the word I wanted to say, River, no need to speak for me. "Things. There are things that have to be checked before I get it to you. If we don't check the thing, then the, the-"

They were getting impatient as I tried to think of a way out. "We will receive!"

Think think think... "Yes, you will receive, and here it is. Now, on its way, over this small distance."

"We will receive!"

Giving him the bag, I just hoped for a quick escape. "Here you go. And you can have the bag as well."

River got my plan. "You know, it's been lovely, but er, we don't want to intrude on this special moment, so why don't we just leave you with the new baby?"

"You will remain." Bugger.

"Is that strictly necessary?"

"I do not like surprises."

Neither did I, but look how well today was going. "Well, it's going to be a funny old day. Oh, boy."

Scratch started to unzip the bag, when two blue Neon hands darted out quickly to grab it back. "You know what? I just can't stand idly by and let this continue." Then stood on the chair. "Death has been done this day! Noble blood has been spilled, and our tears will surely follow. The sky shall crack, the ground shall heave, and even the rocks and the stones shall weep their rage. Behold! The head of Hydroflax!" Then held up the head by the hair again, a witch performing a spell.

"Rest now, sweet prince. Walk amongst us nevermore. Shall we start the bidding at two hundred billion? I'm sorry, Mummy No'5, whatever your name is, but we really couldn't keep this treasure from the truly devout." What the hell was she doing? "And shall we find out who is the most truly devout?"

"This is heresy!"

Had you not met my daughter? The Hybrid and Heretic? The one that could also control even the most powerful hive mind when she was angry enough? "Two hundred over there." River cried, pointing at a man who had raised his hand, my daughter controlling him.

"Two hundred fifty million by the sweet trolley."

She had moved on to another woman, before Scratch got very angry. "Silence! This is not our way."

"Well, it doesn't say much for your king if you can't put a price on his head." I informed him, lifting my daughter down from the chair. "Let us see what the king himself has to say."

Then jabbed a knife into his left ear before the man woke up and screamed, all of the diners freaking out. "Quick!"

River grabbed both of our hands and pulled us for the exit, my daughter clutching at her things as she struggled to keep up in the heels. But Flemming was blocking the exit. "Professor Song, Miss Masters! Has the food disappointed you?"

The Cyborg stomped in, and the diners screamed and fled. River pulled GeeK out of the way, making me happy that she was putting her first, but we were grabbed by security men wearing black berets. "At last, I am whole again. Come to me, my body." Only the Cyborg scanned Hydroflax first. "Well? Put me back."

"Scan in progress."

"You don't need to scan me, just put me back."

The scan didn't come back positive. "Tissue deterioration now irreversible."

Hydroflax was now a little lost. "Well, what are you going to do about that?"'

"Additional, the projectile inside your brain continues to move. Prognosis, death in seven minutes."

He did know what that meant. "Well, I refuse. King Hydroflax does not accept death."

"Orders requested."

"Whatever I need to survive, do it. Now."

"Orders accepted. You need a new head."

That was clearly not the answer he was hoping for. "No! No. Not a new head!"

"Orders implementing." Then shot the head into dry dark grey dust, showing the diamond.

River looked to a security man. "I don't suppose you could fetch that over for me, could you?"

"As I was saying, your Majesty. Well, your remaining Majesty." Flemming smiled, snatching both GeeK's scanner and River's diary. They both held the biggest secrets in the universe, about the Mistress and myself. "If it's a new head you're after, this is the guide to the very best."

Both of them were now fighting, my daughter furious but they had wrapped something around her eyes. "Don't touch that. Give that back to me. She won't come if you call her through that, she'll talk to me directly instead!"

"The diary of River Song, and the Hard Drive of Galaxy Kasterborous Masters. The ultimate guide to the Time Lord's known as the Doctor, and Missy."

"Don't you dare touch those! My mother will rip you apart if you damage those, all of me is backed up on there, my personality, my memories, everything!"

Flemming just offered them both to the Cyborg. "'Long live the King." Only then started to read the diary. Our time together laid bare. "The Pandorica Opens. Ooh, that sounds exciting. And goodness me, a picnic at Asgard. Some people really know how to snack, don't they?"

River was glaring at him, Galaxy utterly lost without her device. It literally did hold her on it, in case her hearts relapsed, or her partly human brain started forgetting. "You should know we have a significant history of escaping."

He wasn't listening. "The Crash of the Byzantium. Didn't they make a movie of that?"

"'And when I do, I'm going to rip your bones out through your skin in the order in which they are formed during the gestation of your species,-"'

"Oh, Jim the Fish!" Flemming laughed. "Well, we all know Jim the Fish."

The room was getting icy as my daughter got even angrier. "Then perform acupuncture with them in all of your worst pressure points until you are begging me for death. But I'll just leave you in so much pain and the longer you spend reading my stepmothers diary, the longer I'm going to take."

"And you've just been to Manhattan. What planet is that?"

"So do, please, keep going."

The Cyborg was getting impatient. "This is irrelevant."

Scratch was still here. "If I may intrude, your Majesty. The Doctor and Missy are legendary being of remarkable power and an infinite number of faces. But the Doctor, his head, I assure you, would be your crowning achievement."

"Mum is going to love hearing that." I'd bet she would.

Flemming tapped on the Cyborg's armour to get its attention back. "'Besides which, many of us on this ship would be happy to see his career cut off, as it were, at the neck. The Mistress is a rather good patron of this fine ship."

"Proceed faster, or your head will be taken!"

"This woman is the known consort of the Doctor. She is the daughter of the Mistress, the Doctor's nemesis."

"Confirmation required. Uploading."

Nardole's head then rose out of the Cyborg's body, shaking and blinking in the light. "Ooo. Oh!"

It didn't give him any time to adjust. "'Is River Song the consort of the Time Lord known as the Doctor? Is Galaxy Kasterborous Masters the daughter of the Mistress?"

"Huh? I think so, yeah. GeeK definitely is, she's helped me before." Oh, really? I did need to talk to her about a lot of this. "Here, can I stay up for a bit? It's really very whiffy down there." His head was lowered again though. "Oh! Oh, it's awful!"

"So, where is the Doctor now?"

"I haven't the faintest idea. Not even GeeK does and she was adopted by him as a baby."

My daughter was biting at her lip, wanting to speak but I was silently begging her not to right now. "Is that credible?"

My wife shrugged. "It's true."

"You're the woman he loves."

"No, I'm not."

"'She's lying."'

River was getting gaped at by Galaxy, and somehow I knew she thought she was telling the truth. "The Doctor does not and has never loved me. He never even told me his daughter was alive. I'm not lying."

The Cyborg scanned her. "Confirmed. The life form is not lying."

Flemming was now in shock. "Impossible. This is a trick."'

"No, it isn't." Galaxy Kaster was now... Did she have tears running down her face?

"My information is correct. You are the woman who loves the Doctor."

Now she nodded, closer to my daughter so she got to wrap an arm around her. "Yes, I am. I've never denied it. But whoever said he loved me back? He's the Doctor. He doesn't go around falling in love with people. He left his daughter all alone in the TARDIS when she just wants him to sit with her and play video games until she can actually fall asleep, how is that really loving someone? And if you think he's anything that small or that ordinary, to love, then you haven't the first idea of what you're dealing with." She never asked... I thought she just wanted me to leave her alone.

Flemming could see that he was losing his leverage on the monarch. "Your Majesty, I assure you, she is the perfect bait. When this woman is in danger, the Doctor will always come. Failing that, Missy."

River was getting angry now. "Oh, you are a moron. No, he won't. He doesn't even know where Galaxy is."

"He's probably already here." Score one for Flemming, talking over my complaining wife as Gee was looking in my general direction. I would wait for my queue, thank you very much.

"Possibly on this ship."

"Well, go on, scan it then. Go on, why don't you?" Well, that would ruin my surprise so best try and get her attention. Not that she wanted to give it to me. "Two hearts, stupid clothes, you can't miss him."

"River."

"Go on, scan the whole parsec! He's not here." She insisted as Galaxy Kaster started to laugh hysterically. "God knows where he is right now, but I promise you, he's doing whatever the hell he wants and not giving a damn about me! And I'm just fine with that, so long as I keep his daughter safe, because I already love her like she's my own."

Oh, I knew you would... "River."

"When you love the Doctor, it's like loving the stars themselves." My wife continued. "You don't expect a sunset to admire you back. And if I happen to find myself in danger, let me tell you, the Doctor is not stupid enough, or sentimental enough, and he is certainly not in love enough to find himself standing in it with me! If he came right now, he would kill me himself for putting his daughter at risk."

Only then she finally caught my eye and I smiled. So the penny, at long last, hit the floor.

"Hello, sweetie."

"You are so doing those roots."

I'm sorry, but it was my turn to do the puns here, Sweetie. "What, the roots of the sunset?"

Those sassy silver eyes narrowed at me. "Don't you dare."

Oh, I dared alright. "I'll have to check with the stars themselves."

"Oh, shut up. I was just keeping them talking till it kicks off, your daughter was scared."

"Who said anything about scared?" Gee muttered, still blindfolded, but just angry now. Wow, she even had me fooled. "Crying girls in dresses always get the benefit of the doubt."

We had lost our so called captors. "What is this conversation? Explain." Was it me or did that sound a little bit like a Dalek?

A shot of blue Neon was thrown at him. "You keep out of this."

"We need to get to work." I told the girls. Oh, my Girls... Clara and Galaxy...

"Okay, what have you got?"

My daughter held out the PS Vita. I was wondering how she still had the Neon if she was playing a different game, given that you couldn't play Infamous on there. "Four exits. Two concealed, one in the ceiling."

"There's also one in the floor."

River, there was a floor/ceiling in the way, they'd notice if we tried to blow it up. "No, I don't like it."

"Too close to the engine ducts?"

That too. "A bit too tight."

I got a shove for that. "Oh, I hope you're not being personal. She is only my stepdaughter afterall."

"Excuse me, what are you talking about?"

"Hush, Mummy and Daddy are busy talking to the baby."

"Oi!"

A clock chimed the hour though, stopping her protests further. "There we are. Two o'clock. Here we go."

The Cyborg had enough. "Cease this conversation."

"Darling Galaxy Kasterborous, in the event of a sudden meteor strike on the lower starboard decks, where would you say is the safest place to stand?"

She paused for a moment, clearly getting her bearings by using other people around the ship, before looking in her general direction. "Exactly here, I should think. Guessing that isn't a coincidence, Mummy No'5?"

Oh, what was going on? The ship was starting to rumble in, you guessed it, the lower starboard decks. "Your escape plan."

She shrugged with a smile. "It's cheaper than a taxi."

"What meteor strike?"

Just as the computer told us it was imminent. Brilliant. "That meteor strike."

"How could you know?"

Because she was my amazing wife. "I'm an archaeologist from the future. I dug you up." The entire ship shuddered. "See you in four hundred years."

The floor then gave way below us, and we dropped into a reception area. "Well, that certainly is one way to travel. Oh, I hate crocodile tears, it always makes my make up run."

"I had this book." River was laughing, leaning on me to stay upright in her tall heels. "History's Finest Exploding Restaurants. The best food for free. Skip the coffee."

"I want coffee now, thanks."

We both just ignored the teenager in favour of me grinning at my wife. "What do you think, by the way?" She just looked at me. "My new body."

"Oh, I'll let you know. I've only seen the face." Oh, that was definitely sexy, but I didn't mind. "How have you got a new one, by the way? Aren't there rules? And how did you find Galaxy Kasterborous?"

Far too long a story when the ship was going all explodey wodey. "A thing happened."

She was still laughing. "I bet it probably did."

We were told to abandom ship before another boom shook something small and sparkly down towards us, so River caught it in. Well. I'm not sure what to call it, there was a child present. "The diamond?"

She winked, my daughter doing something on her Vita. "Good, aren't I?"

"I'm not sure good's the word. Aren't stepmothers supposed to be wicked?"

Gee rolled her eyes. "Better not be. According to this, being River Songs stepdaughter boosts me up 4 places in the universal desirable list. I'm now only 3 below Felicia Day."

As entertaining as that conversation would be, there were more pressing matters. "We need to get this ship stabilised. Where's the bridge?"

"This way."' River informed us, starting to head in that direction.

Only the Cyborg dropped down as well. "We also need to stop that."

My daughter was ready for that, blue Neon blazing. "Toss for it."

Not a chance, you were far too reckless right now. "I'll take the robot, you drive." They agreed and headed off. "Oh, don't stop for strangers."

They both rolled their eyes. "Look who's talking. Come on, Sweetie."

Then left, leaving me alone with the screaming people and the stupid Cyborg. "What's the point? It's over."

"I will take your head." Why, you wouldn't get further a'head' in life. "What for? We're on a crashing spaceship and I don't even know if I can save it. You just shot your own king in your own face. You'd get beheaded if you had one."

"I will take yours. King Hydroflax will live again."

The ship started shaking, people freaking the flip out, before I jumped to catch the money globe. Perfect. "Do you know what you need? Do you know what any decent headless king needs? Money. This connects every bank to every other bank in this galaxy. Right here in my hand, all the money you can eat."

"Demonstrate."

Taking sweets from a baby. "With pleasure." The Cyborg leaned forward and let me place the globe on its neck connector. Sparks started flying from it on impacy, making me laugh. "Welcome to all the best firewalls in the galaxy. Nothing is protected like money. Every stock market within a light year is arguing in your head."

"I do not understand."

"Ha ha! That's the way it is for most people." I replied, before grabbing the scanner and the diary, on the floor near me and the Concierge. "He had a bad day on the market." Only had to go back and apologise. This was not going well. "Sorry, I appreciate that wasn't very funny, but I couldn't help saying it."

Then ran up the stairs towards the girls, finding them in the bridge. Galaxy was doing what I do, cables around her neck, her tools in her mouth and doing a bit of everything and River was using the trowel. That was far more embarrassing, I had to put a stop to it. "Where's everyone else?"

Galaxy Kaster was inside a control panel. Well, half of her was, her legs were all that wasn't. "They ran for it. So should we."

"We need to get the navcom back online." I told her, starting to help with the screwdriver. "And re-route the thrusters."

"We're trying."

Again we were told to abandon ship, so I got started to giving my wife the third degree. "So, King Hydroflax?"

That made her glare at me. "Oh, how many times? I married the diamond."

"So you say."

"Elizabeth the First."

Married her by accident. "Ramone."

"Marilyn Monroe."

Very much an accident. "Stephen Fry."

"Cleopatra!"

You could not complain about that, it was a three way marriage! "Same thing."

"Is now a good time to say that I married Tom Hiddleston in Vegas once?"

"WHAT?!"

Galaxy blinked at us. "You've all been married like 5 times each! Don't have a go at me!"

I blinked at them both before sitting on the command seat to try and stop it. River, River was getting distracted by the scenery. "Hang on a minute. I recognise that planet."

"Well, that's nice, StepMummy." My daughter called from her control panel. "Maybe they'll name the crater after us."

"That's Darillium!"

No. Please, please, no, they'd only just met, they were such good friends... "Always good to know where we're going. Could you concentrate on your work, please?"

"You know, the Singing Towers."

You mean the things we saw on our last ever night together? Yes, yes I did. Oh, my best suit and my haircut... So long ago in the library, the last time she'd seen me. My River. "Yes, I'll be sure to give them a wave as we zoom past."

She wasn't dropping it though. "You always say you're going to take me there for dinner and then you always cancel at the last minute."

Funny story there, love. "I'd quite like to cancel this time too, if at all possible."

Then the whole ship shook again, throwing my daughter out of the panel with a snap of a heel. It was far too dangerous here for the both of them, so I started my own evacuation, sonicing a console. "What are you doing? That's the internal teleport."

"Yes. I can use the power cell to boost the thrusters." That was news to them as I held out two ends of the blue cables. "Hold this, quickly."

"Well, I don't see what good this will do."

Keep you both safe. "Sorry, River, GeeK. Crashing spaceships, that's my job."

They both realised at the same time. "You-" Fill in the blanks, because that's what I had to do.

Once they were safely away, I started to really rush around, trying to do both my job and what my daughter had been doing. Seriously, it was hard to tell, she was doing a lot. "More power. You can do it, you can do it." Only then the TARDIS materialised around me. "No, girls, no, no, no, no!" And followed them both out of the doors right away. "Get back in the TARDIS! This is my job!"

"This is my job!"

"This is what you raised me to do!"

Stop arguing! "I've been doing it longer."

"I do it better."

"My body is designed to do it better than both of you."

This was the problem with women. "River, my Galaxy Kaser, not one person on this ship, not one living thing, is worth you two." Hang on, did I just say that to her face?

River looked shocked a moment. "Or you." Wait, did she say that back?

"Surface impact in ten, nine, eight-"

The forward window glass was breaking as the ground rushed to meet us. "Teensy bit close."

Maybe a bit too close... "Yeah, sort of."

"Darling and Lovely, shall we pop back indoors?"

Galaxy nodded quickly. "Yeah, good idea."

Only the impact sent us flying across the room, knocking us all out. I came too first, seeing River around my daughter, having tried to protect her from hurting herself so I checked her pulse, before GeeK's too. Both of them strong and incredible, like I'd expected. "Indestructible as ever." And picked up the small gem, smiling at it softly. "Married the diamond. How the hell did you marry Tom Hiddleston, Dumpling?"

I looked out of the TARDIS door at the burning wreckage, then closed it again to jump us forward in time a little, letting me go outside again. The wreckage was still smoking gently, a man in a hard hat running over from where he had been wandering through it. "Hello? Sir. The ship, it came down. Did you see it?"

Funnily enough, it was hard to miss from the inside. "Yes, I did."

"I've been searching for survivors."

"I doubt if you'd find any."' I told him softly. "And I don't think any of them would be worth it, if that's a comfort. Brave of you to try, though. Well done."

He bowed his head a little. "Thank you, sir."

Two tall pillars of stone stood proud of the flat landscape, something I thought that my daughter would love, but I hoped I would never take my wife to see. "Those are the Singing Towers, aren't they?"

"Yes, sir, but it's just the wind."

Nothing was ever the wind. "The Singing Towers of Darillium. Here we are at last." He didn't understand, so I changed the subject. "You know what? They should build a restaurant right here, with a view of those towers. You could make a lot of money that way. You should do that."

"You'd need a lot of money to begin with, sir."

Easily remedied, the diamond needed someone to take it home. "The Halassi Androvar. I think you'll find that the reward is pretty substantial." Then dropped it into his hand. "Restaurant!" Then went back into the TARDIS and moved forward to when the establishment was open, the girls still asleep, meaning I could make a booking. "'Excuse me, um, I'd like a table on the balcony with a view of the towers."

"I'm sorry, sir. The first available slot I have is Christmas Day in four years' time."

You say that like it's a problem? Every Christmas was last Christmas, after all. "Not a problem."

I moved forward again, setting things up for them, before coming out to see my wife flirting with another of her husbands, my daughter now in a pair of black skinny jeans and a hooded dress thing in purple and blue. "So, Ramone, you have a metal body now."

Please stop, I was right here. "Down, girl."

"Dad, how the hell did you manage to put that thing on without strangling yourself lke last time?"

River was very surprised by new suit and tie though. "'Now that, my dear, is a suit."

Thought you'd like it, and I knew your gift would be appreciated. "Happy Christmas."

"Really? I don't think you've ever given me a present before." And opened the box to reveal the sonic. I made it just the same as the one from the library, only with a Galaxy Kaster twist. It made the Legend of Zelda chest noise when it unlocked things. "Oh, it's a sonic screwdriver! How lovely!"

"When I saw the sonic trowel, I thought it was just embarrassing, but, look." And demonstrated it, scanning her and linking her life to the data drive. I Saved her. "Gee, yours is on the table, stop looking pouty."

"Oh, thank you." River beamed at me, kissing both my cheeks. She smelt lovely, like vanilla and spice. She was a spicy lady.

"You look, er, amazing."

GeeK rolled her eyes, eyes rimmed in silver and blue. "Daddy, you have no idea whether she looks amazing or not."

Um... "Well, you've moved your hair about, haven't you?"'

"Well done. It's very sweet of you to try."

Then looked at the view ahead of us, my daughter no longer interested in the half open present she had and was leaning over the rail to stare at the pillars with the sun setting behind them. "So what do you think? The Singing Towers."

Both of them were just entranced. "Oh. The music. Listen to it." Why did this have to be the end? I wanted it to be the beginning, but every storybook closed. "Are you crying?"

"No. Just the wind."

My daughter had to stare at me, dark blue eyes seeing right into me. "Nothing's ever just the wind. Daddy?"

Dumpling... "No? It blows through the cave system and harmonises with the crystal layer."

"Why are you sad? You've got your walls up, you won't let her in your head. Why?"

"Why are you sad?"

River shook her head. "I told you, my diary's nearly full. I worry. Especially now I've met my stepdaughter." I tried to stop her. "There are stories about us, you know."

Idle gossip. "Oh, I dread to think."'

"I look them up sometimes."

"You really shouldn't do that."

She wasn't taking her eyes off of me, while Galaxy Kasterborous was unable to look away from the towers. "Some of them suggest that the very last night we spend together is at the Singing Towers of Darillium. That wouldn't be true, would it?"

How would I know? I avoided the stories. "Spoilers."

To her, I'd given her enough evidence though. "Oh. Well, that would explain why you kept cancelling coming here. Do you remember that time-" I tried to stop her again. "'When there were two of you. Because I want you to know that if this is the last night, I expect you to find a way round it. With, with Gee, I'm happy, I never got a chance to have a family, Doctor."

"Not everything can be avoided." I replied softly. "Not forever."

"But you're you. There's always a loophole." She insisted. "You wait until the last minute and then you spring it on me."

Galaxy lifted her head slightly, eyes pale and watery, unfocused. The music was resonating with her. "Every night is the last night for something. Every Christmas is the last Christmas until the next one. It's never fair, it's never kind, but you find a way to make it worth it and memorable."

She tried to argue it. "But you will. You'll wait until I've given up hope. All will be lost, and you'll do that smug little smile and then you'll save the day. You always do."

"No, I don't. Not always. Times end, River, because they have to." I sighed sadly. "Because there's no such thing as happy ever after. It's just a lie we tell ourselves because the truth is so hard."

River always knew best though. "No, Doctor, Gee, you're wrong. Happy ever after doesn't mean forever. It just means time. A little time. But that's not the sort of thing you could ever understand, is it? Either of you."

How could we? We both lost people as soon as we turned our backs. But we never forgot, not unless... Oh, Clara, Gee needed you so bad. "Mmm. What do you think of the towers?"

"I love them."

But your eyes were on me. "Then why are you ignoring them?"

"They're ignoring me. But then you can't expect a monolith to love you back."

"No, you can't. They've been there for millions of years, through storms and floods and wars and time." I agreed, Gee moving away slightly. "Nobody really understands where the music comes from. It's probably something to do with the precise positions, the distance between both towers. Even the locals aren't sure. All anyone will ever tell you is that when the wind stands fair and the night is perfect, when you least expect it but always when you need it the most there is a song."

Her mind hadn't moved on though. Women, always worrying. "So, assuming tonight is all we have left."

Not even I knew if that was true, love. "I didn't say that."

"How long is a night on Darillium?"

Well, there was the fun part. Sitting still with you in our tiny moment of Happily Ever After. "Twenty four years."

Now she was almost laughing and crying at the same time. "I hate you."

Wasn't that a part of loving someone? "No, you don't."

Then just looked at each other for a long moment,before looking over to where we heard a soft sob, muffled by a hand. "Gee? Sweetie, what is it, what's wrong?"

"I don't think I'm alright, am I?" She asked as she looked over at us, tears flowing freely down her face. "I haven't been for a while, and I've been trying to pretend, but who am I actually kidding? Whoever she was, whatever Clara was to me, it was her who stopped this, she was the one who knew how to stop me and how to help me. She stopped me giving in to it, the madness that is there, it is always there."

"Oh, Dumpling..." I sighed, wrapping my arms around her and River, my wife beating me to hugging her myself. "It's OK, it's all going to be OK. I promise. I love you, my little universe, it's OK..."

Something told me that with River here, teaching her to overcome madness and a predisposition towards homicidal urges was going to be possible. My family... All I needed for my Happily Ever After.


End file.
